Community Corner

County Buying Joliet Buildings for New Courthouse, Office Space

The capital improvements committee proposal lays the groundwork for new courthouse and public safety campus. The full board will review it Aug. 15.

By Karen Sorensen (Editor)

The first step in restructuring Will County government in downtown Joliet was approved Tuesday by the county board's capital improvements committee.

The proposal, which goes to the full county board Aug. 15, calls for the purchase of two downtown buildings -- one for the land use department and the other as the site for a new county courthouse. 

It also proposes that money be earmarked to extend water and sewer services to the 2402 Laraway Road site currently used by the Will County Sheriff's Office, which eventually would serve as a "public safety campus." 

If approved, the county would purchase the former Social Security Administration building at 158 N. Scott St. and relocate the land use department into the 12,000-square-foot space, the release said.

The county would also purchase the First Midwest Bank Building at 50 W. Jefferson St., first for temporary use by the Will County offices now located in the Emco building at 57 N. Ottawa St., which will become the Will County State's Attorney's Office.

Later, the bank building would be torn down to make way for a new county courthouse.

Negotiations are under way to purchase both buildings and are "near completion," the release said.

The county has $15 million on hand for the "short-term" changes -- i.e., the building purchases, remodeling work and utility line extensions. The committee estimates the price tag for the future public safety campus and courthouse to be about $430 million.

"Today's actions represent a significant step forward, as we move from the planning stage to actual implementation," County Board member Denise Winfrey, chairwoman of the capital improvements committee, said in the release.

"We have done our due diligence in formulating a strategy that benefits both the taxpayers as well as all stakeholders."

The additional space downtown will allow cramped county departments to expand into buildings that will accommodate future growth and provide easier access for residents who need the services they provide.

More importantly, however, it is the first step toward building a new courthouse, which will not only consolidate all of the county's downtown courtrooms into one building but provide much-needed space for additional judges and security measures lacking in the out-of-date, 45-year-old building at 14 W. Jefferson St.

Water and sewer service to the sheriff's office site will eliminate the septic field currently being used, the release said.

In the future, the plan is for the site to serve as a public safety campus, with buildings for evidence storage, training and administration. The latter could include space for the coroner's and emergency management offices, the release said.

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