Fine tuning costs and designs of a new judicial complex, Will County officials also are discussing the future of the current four-story courthouse.
During a Tuesday morning meeting of the county board’s capital improvements committee, members asked architect Jason Dwyer, of Wight and Co., to provide costs for renovation and demolition. They also asked the architect to determine if the mechanical systems, windows and elevators needed to be upgraded in the 50-year-old building.
Dwyer, who is designing the new courthouse across the street from the current facility at the corner of Ottawa and Jefferson Streets in downtown Joliet, said if officials plan to renovate the building for long term use, it will need a “significant overhaul.”
“It’s a solid building but needs a lot of investment to upgrade it,” he said. “You need to think about more than what you need today.”
He suggested that the first two floors of the existing courthouse be used for other court-related functions, such as probation and public defender’s offices, which were eliminated from the new courthouse as a cost-saving measure.
The third and fourth floors could be “mothballed” for future uses, or house specialty courts, he said.
The county’s Child Advocacy Center and its specialty courts — for drug offenders, veterans, and mental health cases — are now temporarily housed in the former First Midwest Bank building, along with some of the sheriff’s offices. The building will be demolished and its site will be used to build the new courthouse.
The offices will need to be relocated by the end of the year, said Nick Palmer, chief of staff for County Executive Larry Walsh.
Officials previously discussed renting the first floor of the existing courthouse for commercial uses, which would generate revenue, but would require more renovation.
Board Speaker Jim Moustis, R-Frankfort Township, suggested a workshop session to explore all options, once they have some cost estimates.
The committee also is waiting for figures on what the new courthouse will cost, based on the design recently completed by Dwyer.
The county has budgeted $195 million for the 10-story, 370,000 square foot complex, and may decide to leave the top two floors as shells. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring 2018.
Court administrator Roger Holland told the committee he would like to see those floors built out for courtrooms, saying there will be a demand for courtrooms in the future.
County officials previously discussed building a satellite courthouse in the northern part of the county, but on Tuesday, Moustis said that project is far into the future — after the courthouse and the new health department facility are built.
He also urged committee members to rethink the satellite facility, saying it should house other county services in addition to courtrooms.
