The current Smith County Courthouse in downtown Tyler as a construction area is fenced off while crews work on the site of the new courthouse. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Plans are moving ahead for the Smith County Courthouse project, with a progress update presented Tuesday during the county commissioners court meeting. The commissioners also showed support for a Veterans Memorial Highway and took steps to establish a Historical Commission.

Brandy Ziegler from Fitzpatrick Architects and Stephen Flournoy from Hoar Construction provided a detailed update, including a time-lapse video showing the future courthouse site.

Flournoy noted that Phase 1, the parking garage, was completed in November. The final cost came in at $13,821,987, which was $235,284 under budget.

As for the courthouse, work is well underway, with demolition already done on East Erwin and Spring streets. Crews poured about 2,000 cubic yards of concrete, with 560 cubic yards completed over the weekend.

Notably, 56% of the contracts have gone to local East Texas subcontractors.

The court also approved the reconciliation change order and final payment for the parking garage, marking the conclusion of Phase 1. The garage was originally set at $14,057,271, but the final cost came in under budget.

The court passed a resolution in support of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce Veterans Committee’s effort to designate part of U.S. Highway 69 as Veterans Memorial Highway.

The stretch runs from South Loop 323 in Tyler to Bullard, and it has support from CampV and the East Texas Council of Governments. It will need approval from the Texas Legislature, but it’s a major step toward honoring veterans in East Texas, which has one of the largest veteran populations in the state.

The Smith County Historical Commission was also officially established during the meeting. The commission will have seven members and will focus on preserving the county’s historic buildings, cemeteries, and other cultural resources.

Nominated for the commission are Smith County Historical Society President Larry Wade Sr., Lindale’s Judson Bailiff, Tyler’s Zach Sabota and Bullard’s Charles Turner, as well as Conor Herterich from Preservation Texas, Mark Thacker, and Todd McMakin.

The court also took a moment to recognize Smith County Auditor Ann Wilson for her role in the county’s continued success in receiving the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. The county has earned the award for the past 20 years, thanks to Wilson’s leadership, and more recently, Budget Officer Kari Perkins, who is in her first year managing the budget process.

The court received a delinquent tax collection report from the Linebarger law firm, showing collections are slightly higher than this time last year, and delinquent collections have remained steady.

In other business, the court approved a professional services agreement with FMD Architects, Inc. for a $16,000 needs assessment study of the Smith County Animal Shelter. The study will provide an evaluation of the current facility and operations, helping to guide improvements for the future.

The 2024 Racial Profiling Report was also presented for the Smith County Constable Precinct 4 and Precinct 5, along with an exemption for the Smith County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.

The court reappointed John Shoemaker to the Andrews Center Board of Trustees for a two-year term ending Oct. 31, 2026, and approved an agreement with Petty & Associates, Inc. for economic development consulting.

The contract, not to exceed $50,000, will assist with county-specific programs and collaboration with the City of Tyler and the Tyler Economic Development Council.

In a smaller but important decision, the court approved a one-time cost of $3,832.72 for the relocation of fiber from 200 E. Ferguson to the new Data Center on the second floor. They also approved a one-year renewal with GOVOS, formerly Kofile, for the Land and Vital Records Management System, with no price increase.

Finally, the court approved several final plats and a re-plat, including the Smith Addition, Webb Addition, Gavins Ridge, V. Walker Addition and the Oak Hills Addition Re-Plat. They also received notice of utility line installation requests from CenterPoint Energy, Frontier Communications, Carroll Water Supply and Texas Land Company LLC, each for projects across various county precincts.