ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Demolition has begun on the Palmetto Suites and Inn in Orangeburg.
The hotel is coming down to make way for a parking lot for the new Orangeburg courthouse complex.
The land where the hotel stood is soon to be part of the new county courthouse project and will become the parking lot for the courthouse that will soon begin construction on Russell Street.
County Administrator Harold Young says parking is a priority for this new courthouse.
"Because we have circuit court, and when you do a jury pool, you have to bring in almost three or four hundred something people to create a jury for circuit court and that where if we had enough parking," said Young. "We could do those jury pools easier which would mean we could do them more often. And then it also allows for individuals to be able to maneuver around the courthouse and then do all of the other functions that is necessary when that circuit court pooling is going on. "
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The downtown parking lot will also include green space as well.
There's no date yet on when the new courthouse will be built but it's expected to take about eighteen months to complete once construction gets underway.
The new courthouse complex is expected to cost between $30 and $50 million, which the county funded through an installment purchase bond, the same type of bond was used to build the county jail.