Through the Years

has supplied heating and cooling in the interim.)

The feasibility study made it clear that the air conditioning system in the current courthouse was only one part of a much bigger issue. Anyone who has been in the courthouse in recent years has seen the crowded offices, some of which have been shared by different agencies simply because of lack of space. “The building had served the county well for many years,” said John. “But we had outgrown both the building and the technology in it. So we either had to do a major renovation and expansion or build a new courthouse altogether.”

There was a lot to consider. But, regardless of what decision was made, the public works building that sat next door had to go. “We needed to get that building and all of its heavy equipment out of downtown,” said John. “So, we acquired land at the landfill and then moved the public works service out there.”

The decision was based on a threephase process. First, an architectural firm performed a feasibility study on the current buildings. The feasibility study returned seven different options. “Renovating the current courthouse was going be very, very limited because of how it was built,” said John. “The building would have had to be completely rewired in addition to the air conditioning.”

Phase two involved a survey of all the occupants in the courthouse to help determine present and future needs. In the meantime, John worked through the numbers with each option presented by the architectural firm. When everything was considered, the decision was obvious. With the next fifty years of service in mind, the board and its manager agreed that a new courthouse would best serve the needs of the people of Toombs County.

“We chose a ‘contract manager at risk’ process,” said John, “which the state often uses for big construction projects. This allows you to bring in a general contractor at about 50% design phase. Then, between the architect, the engineers, and the general contractor, they ‘value engineer’ the rest of it out.

RIGHT The new courthouse is scheduled for completion in summer 2023. Its design incorporates elements from the earliest courthouse version, like the cupola and the front portico. BELOW An onion

In this way, the general contractor can give you a guaranteed cost analysis.”

The real challenge now was figuring out how to pay for the multimillion-dollar judicial complex and expansion of the Toombs County Detention Center. “We sought the advice of several different financial institutions,” said John, “and finally chose to go with Davenport and Associates out of South Carolina. Their plan involved going to the bond market to issue bonds.” As the County Manager, “One of the biggest and most important components about this project was the financing side of it,” said John. “Getting a bond rating, which Toombs County had never had before, was a big deal. We came out with a AA bond rating, which is pretty remarkable for our county. In essence, the effective interest rate on that is 2%. And that particular day was the largest government bond issue in the history of the United States. It was just unbelievable.”

Since the money will be repaid using sales tax dollars, people visiting the community to buy goods and services will help pay for it. Also, by using sales tax dollars, no property taxes will be required to repay the debt.

On April 21, 2021, officials gathered to break ground for the new courthouse and renovation and expansion of the Toombs County Detention Center, which will be expanded from a 123 to a 190-bed facility with a larger booking area and all new electronics. The expansion will also include a tunnel connecting the detention center to the courthouse. “We call it ‘the long mile,’” John smiled. “This will improve security.”

The new Toombs County courthouse stands where the original 1905 courthouse first stood. When construction began, burnt timbers from the first building were recovered, according to John. As soon as the building project is finished during the summer, the old courthouse will be torn down. At that time, construction will begin for a large parking area and park. An added benefit was a grant awarded to the city of Lyons for a sixfoot sidewalk that will extend from the courthouse to the downtown area.

Every aspect of the new courthouse was built with safety and security in mind. The first floor will house county government offices. The state court judge, state solicitor, and the magistrate judge will be on the second floor. Rooms on the third floor are for superior, juvenile, and probate courts and chambers for visiting judges. In addition, the new facility has four courtrooms and several attorney/ client rooms.

Like the first courthouse, the new courthouse has a dome. But unlike the former hall of justice, the 2023 dome is embellished with a metal onion sculpture designed and constructed by local artist and sculptor Ruth (Williams) English. The onion has a long history with farming families in Toombs and surrounding counties. As far back as the 1930s, the onion has gained attention for its sweetness. Today, it is named the official vegetable of Georgia.

The Vidalia onion is essential to this region. When, where, and who discovered the sweetness of the area’s onions remains controversial. Of course, the success of the marketing of the trademark name “Vidalia onions” was never about an onion grown within the city limits of Vidalia or even Toombs County. In fact, The official Vidalia onion production area, as designated by the Vidalia Onion Act of 1986 and passed by the Georgia legislature, includes 13 counties and parts of 7 others: Toombs, Tattnall,

Emanuel, Candler, Treutlen, Bulloch, Wheeler, Montgomery, Evans, Telfair, Jeff Davis, Appling and Bacon, and parts of Jenkins, Screven, Laurens, Dodge, Pierce, Wayne, and Long counties.

The onion atop the Toombs County courthouse dome represents an essential part of the history that connects this entire region. Ironically, the sculptor’s creator is directly related to F. A. Thompson, the first treasurer of Toombs County. Ruth, my incredibly talented daughter, was commissioned and created the sculpture while pregnant with her second child. The doctor who delivered her son Arthur on Thanksgiving Day 2022 was Dr. Ashlee Nicole Tillary, Senator Blake Tillary’s wife.

It all comes full circle, these connections we share. Our new courthouse is not just a new facility but a symbol of our commitment to the families in Toombs County. When John decided to take the position here, it wasn’t so much what Senator Tillary said to him that day as it was the spirit of family and community expressed by

Blake that connected with John’s own heart to serve.

“I’ve never had a job before where I could actually benefit as many people as possible in this position. If you're going to serve in the government, you’ve got to want to serve people because that’s what we are. We’re servants of the people. People work hard for their money. So, it’s our responsibility to be wise in how we spend their money to benefit our community,” said John.

At the groundbreaking for the new courthouse, Chairman David Sikes spoke of burying the “proverbial hatchet” between Vidalia and Lyons over the site of Lyons as the county seat. He even went so far as to bury a hatchet at the site of the new building as a symbol of unity. Football games aside, there is nothing more insidious than division, especially division caused by jealousy and/or greed. The future of Toombs County’s three cities, Vidalia, Lyons, and Santa Claus, depends on our commitment to unity. And true unity does not put the importance of one place or person over another. Each city has an individual identity and gives value to the whole.

We are families. Just like the Thompsons. One Thompson brother went north of the county and established the community of North Thompson; one went south and established the community of South Thompson where Ruth English and her husband, Mason, now raise their two sons. Two ends of the county. One family.

No one values family and community any more than John Jones. He was the perfect candidate to help facilitate our collective need for a new courthouse, and we are grateful to have him. All of his past experiences, both professionally and personally, worked together to prepare him for this time and place. May the 2023 Courthouse symbolize our commitment to justice and to the families who call Toombs County home.

BY TERI R. WILLIAMS