Hon. Pat Binns, Premier of Prince Edward Island, and Hon. Wes MacAleer, Minister of Community Services and Attorney General, were joined today by Hon. Norman H. Carruthers, Chief Justice of Prince Edward Island and Hon. Kenneth R. MacDonald, Chief Justice of the Trial Division, to officially re-open the Sir Louis Henry Davies Law Courts in Charlottetown.
Originally opened in 1979 on a site that included a former warehouse as part of the structure, the Davies Law Court required significant renovations to deal with a number of problems, including air quality problems which created unfavorable acceptable conditions for users of the facility.
Construction began in 1998 and involved a $4.8 million renovation to modernize the facility. Construction included new ventilation/air conditioning systems; new lighting; new court recording system; new wall/floor finishes; and the interior partitions were reconfigured to suit the new building layout. The total project cost includes construction, design, temporary accommodations and moving.
The general contractor, responsible for implementing the design developed by Bergmark & Hammarlund in conjunction with the users of the facility, was Southern Kings Construction.
"Users of the facility find the renovated building has been laid out to meet the needs of the public and staff in an efficient manner," said Minister MacAleer. "The upgraded mechanical systems, combined with the hard surface flooring, exterior illumination and light colours, complement the modern efficient building layout."
The renovation project provided a modern functional facility at approximately half the cost of a new facility and maintained a major public facility within the downtown area.