VIDALIA — The new elevator the Concordia Parish Police Jury will have installed in the parish courthouse lobby is part of an effort to secure access to some parts of the building.

The police jury voted Monday to advertise for bids for the elevator project, which is phase I in a two phase remodeling and security project.

The 2,500 pound, hydraulic elevator will help make the courthouse compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Alexandria architect Joe Brocato said, and will allow people entering the front of the courthouse to access the first and second floors from the lobby mezzanine without having to use the stairs.

But the addition will also help direct the flow of traffic in the courthouse for security purposes.

“As it stands now, a public person could come in go up the elevator in the back (at the jail lobby) and come out by the judge’s and district attorney’s office,” he said.

This will allow all the public to come in the front door. The way the building was designed, the back door was never intended for the public.”

With the installation of the new elevator, the old elevator will have an access card feature installed in the jail lobby so only authorized people can use it to access the back hall, he said.

Seventh Judicial District Attorney Brad Burget said the current six points of entrance into the courthouse, including the jail lobby, are too many from a security standpoint.

The public will still be able to access the offices in that hall, which already have security doors that require an access card or for someone on the inside to push a button to open them.

“Those people can still come to the offices, they will just have to come through the front door,” Burget said.

The second phase of the project will include upgrading the aesthetics, electronics and functional space in the courtroom. Including the elevator, the entire project will cost approximately $415,000, Brocato said.

Burget said the parish would coordinate the construction in the courtroom during the summer months, when things are slower, and may try to arrange to have some limited sessions in the Vidalia City Court.

Police Jury Secretary-Treasurer Kevin Friloux said the jury has allocated approximately $105,000 in local money to the project, and the balance will come from Louisiana capital outlay allocations.