“All the structural block is laid at this point,” said Larry McGowan, the project manager for Branscum Construction. “All the first floor walls have been framed.”

He said the construction of the Russell County Judicial Center has been proceeding apace. In fact, he said they are slightly ahead of schedule on most of the parallel timelines that make up the building schedule.

The limestone block which encapsulates the building is being added, but he described the process as something like a massive three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. Each piece is custom cut to fit a specific location on the building, and numbered so the masons can locate the proper piece for each space.

Roof trusses have been going up the last two weeks, and that step is required before much of the work can progress inside.

Circuit Clerk Tony Kerr visited the site recently and was pleased with what he saw.

“This block looks great,” Kerr said. “There was some concern about the color when it first arrived, but now that it has dried out fully it looks exactly like the samples we were shown.”

He said the natural stone is very durable and fits well with the plans for the building.

“We’re going to be using this building for lifetimes to come and it has to be well built,” Kerr explained.

“The project bids came in under budget so we are using any excess available funds to make sure we use the best materials possible for the job. This building has to last us a very long time.”