By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
EL RENO – An Oklahoma City architectural firm has been selected to design Canadian County’s future courthouse complex.
MA+ Architecture was recommended after interviews by a four-person selection committee comprised of District 3 Commissioner Tracey Rider, County Clerk Sherry Murray, Court Clerk Marie Hirst, and County Treasurer Jay Arnold.
“We had a wide variety of architectural backgrounds that were presented,” said Stan Lingo, construction manager for the courthouse/administration building project.
“We also had a great group to evaluate. They asked probing questions, explored and invested their time. It was one of the best selection committees that I’ve been on.”
Many Canadian County officers and department directors want to have a new state-of-the-art facility in the county seat to house the county’s administrative and judicial offices.
Canadian County commissioners approved the selection of MA+ Architecture at their April 10th meeting.
The architect selection committee reviewed written responses submitted by five architectural firms.
Three were interviewed – Architectural Design Group (ADG)-Blatt, TAP Architecture and MA+ Architecture.
“They were all very thorough presentations, which actually made the selection harder,” Lingo said.
“All three brought experts in the area of courts with them to the table as partners. So, we have a national partner who’s very experienced in (planning and designing) courts as part of the team with MA+.”
Canadian County government officials plan to replace the existing county administration building at 201 N Choctaw.
This structure – which houses the county commissioners, county clerk, treasurer, emergency management, and other offices – is more than 60 years old and has been plagued by mechanical problems.
Several Canadian County government offices – like the assessor and election board – are housed in separate buildings.
Canadian County’s judges, courtrooms, the District Attorney’s Office, and Court Clerk’s Office occupy the Judicial Building at 301 N Choctaw.
The courthouse architect selection committee “challenged each other, we had a lot of discussion and took leadership from Mr. Lingo in making this very important decision,” Commissioner Rider said.
Canadian County Commission Chairman Dave Anderson thanked committee members for their work and the time and energy they provided to help choose the architect.
PROGRAMMING PHASE
MA+ Architecture will present a proposal and schedule to perform the “programming” phase of Canadian County’s courthouse complex project.
Representatives of county departments will be interviewed and the building’s size and uses will be determined during this phase.
“Once we understand the scale of the project, we will negotiate for the final architectural services,” Lingo told county commissioners.
A location also must be identified and estimated construction cost determined.
After the architect completes its work, contractors will be used construct the new county government facility.
MA+ Architecture has provided its clients with professional architecture, planning and interior design services since 1968.
Among the company’s many large projects have been:
Canadian Valley Technology Center’s Cowan Campus, Southwestern Oklahoma State University’s Football Stadium, SWOSU’s Wellness Center, SWOSU’s Hilltop Theatre, Mustang High School, Mustang HS Performing Arts Center, Mustang Elementary School, Mustang’s Canyon Ridge Intermediate School, Mustang HS Football Fieldhouse, Mustang HS Event Center, Mustang HS Baseball and Softball Training Facilities, Taft Stadium, Norman High School, Norman Public Schools Football Stadium, Deer Creek Performing Arts & Athletics Center, Seminole State College’s Boren Center, Lawton Senior High School, and Capitol Hill High School.
POPULATION ABOUT 166k
Canadian County’s continued population growth has been cited as a primary reason for developing a new county courthouse/administration building.
This county is the fourth largest – and fastest-growing – in Oklahoma.
Canadian County’s population increased by 33.6% (115,541 to 154,405) between 2010 and 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Canadian County’s estimated 2023 population is 166,063 with a growth rate of 2.4% in the past year, according to recent U.S. Census data.
Canadian County Commissioners already have aside $8 million in the county general fund budget for the new courthouse complex project.
Another $10 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds have been earmarked for construction.
In March 2022, Canadian County elected officials toured the Rogers County Courthouse near Tulsa.
In 2014, Rogers County constructed a 100,000-square foot, four-story building.
Chairman Anderson, Canadian County’s District 2 commissioner, previously estimated a similar facility would cost about $30 million today.
