THOMASVILLE — The six bids opened Thursday afternoon for construction of the Thomas County Judicial Center were narrowed to one Friday morning.

Culpepper Construction, a Tallahassee, Fla., firm was the choice Friday of the Thomas County Commission public property committee. The panel met with architects for two hours to review bids and alternates.

Culpepper’s base bid is $8.8 million. With the addition of seven alternates, the total is $9.3 million.

Alternates include:

• Courtroom and jury box seating — $60,000

• Wood ceiling system in lobby — $81,000

• Skylight in main lobby — $85,000

• Lightning protection system — $23,000

• Backup system for heating and air-conditioning system — $83,000

• Trash receptacle enclosure — $52,000

• Shade trees, shrubs and ground cover — $36,000

At 11 a.m. Monday, commissioners will meet in a called meeting — in the third-floor courtroom at the Thomas County Courthouse — to recommend Culpepper Construction as the general contractor. Alternates also will be recommended.

At North Madison and Washington streets at 2 p.m. Monday, ground will be broken for the judicial center.

The project is to be funded by revenue from a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).

“We had a highly competitive bid environment that worked for the benefit of Thomas County taxpayers,” Mike Stephenson, county manager, said Friday afternoon.