Officials praise new courthouse inWill County
10-story building in Joliet expected to open in Nov.
Will County’s new courthouse is near completion and expected to open to the public the first week of November.
County officials gathered Friday at the new judicial center for a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of the 10-story building, which stands about 200 feet and holds 38 courtrooms. It replaces the outdated and undersized courthouse across the street in downtown Joliet.
“What we are dedicating here today is not just a beautiful building or an amazing courthouse, but rather a symbol,” Will County Chief Judge Richard Schoenstedt said. “My hope is that what will not be forgotten is that the basis of the law, the symbol represented by this courthouse, is truthandjustice,” Schoenstedt said.
At 370,000 square feet, the new courthouse will provide needed space for courtrooms. Though Will County is eligible for two additional judges based on census figures, the county has not been able to make use of those judges because the old courthouse simply did not have the space. Schoenstedt said the new building also will allow for dedicated courtrooms for specialty courts such as drug court and for a “floater” judge who helps fill in where needed.
Visitors will notice changes such as escalators, an expansive lobby that should help eliminate the long lines to get inside, attorney- client meeting rooms and an in-house cafeteria. The layout also features separate elevator bays and holding areas outside each courtroom for defendants being brought fromthe jail. Courtrooms also are hardwiredfor technology to eventually make them paperless and make it easier for attorneys to present evidence.
County officials said the project, originally budgeted at $215 million, came in about $10 million under budget.
“We’re just really pleased to be here,” Will County Executive Denise Winfrey said.
She said former Will County Executive Larry Walsh, who died earlier this year, would be pleased to see the project completed.
Walsh worked with county and local officials to get the courthouse built.
“I just wish that Larry was here to see this,” Walsh’s wife, Irene, said just before the ribbon cutting ceremony. “He dreamed of it. He worked on it for so long.”
Other Walsh family members were present including his son, state Rep. Larry Walsh Jr., who offered a few remarks.
“I’m sure he’s looking downwith a big smileonhis face,” Walsh Jr. said.
Many who spoke pointed
to the bipartisan effort and cooperation among city of Joliet andWill County officials on the project.
“This is a testimony to what can happen when elected officials work together,” Joliet Mayor Robert O’Dekirk said.
The courthouse is the fifth building project completed in Will County in recent years. In 2018, the county completed the Will County Public Safety Complex, which houses the sheriff’s office and the 911 dispatch center. Earlier this year, the county completed
and opened new buildings for theEmergencyManagement Agency, Animal Control and the Will County PublicHealth Department.
County board members last year passed a resolution backing demolition of the old courthouse the new one is in operation.
On Thursday, representatives from the state’s attorney’s, circuit court clerk and public defender offices asked county board’s executive committee for more employees to staff two additional courtrooms. The public defender’s office requested five more attorneys while the circuit court clerk requested five clerks. The state’s attorney’s office asked for seven more prosecutors, three for the misdemeanor courtroomand four for the felony courtroom.
In all, the additional staffing would cost the county more than $1 million. Board members are reviewing the request and will continue discussions as they craft a budget for the coming fiscal year.