Commissioners Break Ground on Judicial Center Expansion
The $5 Million Job Should Be Completed in 14 Months
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June 7, 2018
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The formal ground-breaking ceremony for the expansion of the Judicial Center was held on Friday, June 1. The Stone County Commission had 24 shovels available, so the elected officials and other county employees could all participate in the event. Pictured above, from left to right, are Circuit Clerk Deborah Scobee, County Clerk Cindy Elmore, Southern Commissioner Hank Smythe, Presiding Commissioner Dennis Wood, Northern Commissioner Mark Maples, Public Administrator Wendy Metcalf and Sheriff Doug Rader.
Isaac Estes-Jones
The Stone County Commission and others gathered for a ground-breaking ceremony on Friday, June 1, marking the official start of work on the long planned Judicial Center expansion. The $5 million construction project is estimated to take about 14 months to complete, bringing a whole new look to the east side of the historic Galena square.
Construction on the square is beginning in earnest now, paving the way for the addition of 14,000 square feet to the facility. The Stone County Judicial Center was originally constructed in 1991 as the Stone County Jail, and was expanded again in 1998. The construction this year is again funded by the Stone County Law Enforcement sales tax, which was passed by county voters in 1990.
The event began at 10 a.m. last Friday, with county and state elected officials, along with members of the construction and design team, speaking to the impressive group of people who braved the heat.
“I’m like a five year old kid on Christmas morning,” Dennis Wood, Stone County Presiding Commissioner, said as he opened the event.
“Today did not come because of any one person. It came about by the hard work of all of the people you have elected to serve Stone County and all of those who work for the county,” he said.
“This is a great day,” agreed Northern Commissioner Mark Maples. “Back in 2014, it was brought to our attention that this needed to be done over here. The people that work over here every day knew what they needed and worked with the architects to get that. They just needed more space, more security, and that’s what they are getting,” he said.
Maples also commented on the county being able to make these improvements without increasing taxes. “We have paid out of pocket a lot of expenses that now aren’t going to be financed,” he said, adding, “That’s a biggy for me. And, no new taxes. It’s a good deal for Stone County.”
Wood spoke about the architecture firm, N-Form, that designed the addition to the building. “N-Form are the folks who did our architectural work, and I’m telling you the did a phenomenal, phenomenal job. They’ve worked with every department that works in the building to make it happen.
“By the way, we have paid them, not from the construction cost on this building, but from your tax dollars that we’ve budgeted for. We are off to a very good start,” Wood said.
“We have worked very closely with the Commission and many of the office holders to plan this facility,” said Travis Tindall, of N-Form Architects. “We have added a lot of needed program space, and also a lot of security measures that the building doesn’t currently have. We are excited for the county to have those things. Also, I think the building is going to be a beautiful addition to the county square. At the end of the project, we’re going to have a beautiful building that will fill out the square, instead of a parking lot facing the courthouse,” he said.
RE Smith Construction will be handling the actual construction and contract management of the project. Mike Freitas will be the project manager. “We are excited about this project,” Freitas said. “We’re ready to go, we’re excited; it’s hot out here. Let’s get to work,” he said.
Judge Stephens also addressed the crowd. “You know, this is where everyone in Stone County comes to have their day in court and take care of their business. It is important that we have a place to meet all of those needs,” he said.
Stephens also brought up Stone County Circuit Clerk Debbie Scobee. The Circuit Clerk’s office is the first office to have to move to accommodate construction. They recently relocated to the other side of the square, where the County has rented space immediately next door to Galena City Hall.
Stephens spoke about all of the work Scobee and others have done to make this project happen. “They are going to retire at the end of the year and never get to work in the finished building,” he said.
State Representative Don Phillips was able to attend the ceremony, given the Governor’s recent announcement of his resignation. Phillips is the Vice-Chair of the State Investigative Committee into the allegations surrounding the new former governor.
“I didn’t think I would be able to be here, but I think it is a wonderful thing,” Phillips said. “Congratulations on the facility.”
Phillips also spoke about one of the bills he sponsored this session, which had yet to be signed into law. The bill, a comprehensive law enforcement bill, was signed later on Friday afternoon, just before Greitens formally resigned.
“A key component in that bill,” Phillips said, “is the justice reinvestment piece. That deals primarily with treatment centers and drug courts, which I think have to be our future unless we want to keep housing non-violent offenders at the cost of millions of dollars every year for our taxpayers. I think for those that are willing to pay the price for rehabilitation and so forth, it’s a great way to go.”
As construction on the Judicial Center is ongoing, more offices will likely have temporary moves, although those have yet to be announced. Continue watching the Chronicle for more information.
The Stone County Commission and others gathered for a ground-breaking ceremony on Friday, June 1, marking the official start of work on the long planned Judicial Center expansion. The $5 million construction project is estimated to take about 14 months to complete, bringing a whole new look to the east side of the historic Galena square.
Construction on the square is beginning in earnest now, paving the way for the addition of 14,000 square feet to the facility. The Stone County Judicial Center was originally constructed in 1991 as the Stone County Jail, and was expanded again in 1998. The construction this year is again funded by the Stone County Law Enforcement sales tax, which was passed by county voters in 1990.
The event began at 10 a.m. last Friday, with county and state elected officials, along with members of the construction and design team, speaking to the impressive group of people who braved the heat.
“I’m like a five year old kid on Christmas morning,” Dennis Wood, Stone County Presiding Commissioner, said as he opened the event.
“Today did not come because of any one person. It came about by the hard work of all of the people you have elected to serve Stone County and all of those who work for the county,” he said.
“This is a great day,” agreed Northern Commissioner Mark Maples. “Back in 2014, it was brought to our attention that this needed to be done over here. The people that work over here every day knew what they needed and worked with the architects to get that. They just needed more space, more security, and that’s what they are getting,” he said.
Maples also commented on the county being able to make these improvements without increasing taxes. “We have paid out of pocket a lot of expenses that now aren’t going to be financed,” he said, adding, “That’s a biggy for me. And, no new taxes. It’s a good deal for Stone County.”
Wood spoke about the architecture firm, N-Form, that designed the addition to the building. “N-Form are the folks who did our architectural work, and I’m telling you the did a phenomenal, phenomenal job. They’ve worked with every department that works in the building to make it happen.
“By the way, we have paid them, not from the construction cost on this building, but from your tax dollars that we’ve budgeted for. We are off to a very good start,” Wood said.
“We have worked very closely with the Commission and many of the office holders to plan this facility,” said Travis Tindall, of N-Form Architects. “We have added a lot of needed program space, and also a lot of security measures that the building doesn’t currently have. We are excited for the county to have those things. Also, I think the building is going to be a beautiful addition to the county square. At the end of the project, we’re going to have a beautiful building that will fill out the square, instead of a parking lot facing the courthouse,” he said.
RE Smith Construction will be handling the actual construction and contract management of the project. Mike Freitas will be the project manager. “We are excited about this project,” Freitas said. “We’re ready to go, we’re excited; it’s hot out here. Let’s get to work,” he said.
Judge Stephens also addressed the crowd. “You know, this is where everyone in Stone County comes to have their day in court and take care of their business. It is important that we have a place to meet all of those needs,” he said.
Stephens also brought up Stone County Circuit Clerk Debbie Scobee. The Circuit Clerk’s office is the first office to have to move to accommodate construction. They recently relocated to the other side of the square, where the County has rented space immediately next door to Galena City Hall.
Stephens spoke about all of the work Scobee and others have done to make this project happen. “They are going to retire at the end of the year and never get to work in the finished building,” he said.
State Representative Don Phillips was able to attend the ceremony, given the Governor’s recent announcement of his resignation. Phillips is the Vice-Chair of the State Investigative Committee into the allegations surrounding the new former governor.
“I didn’t think I would be able to be here, but I think it is a wonderful thing,” Phillips said. “Congratulations on the facility.”
Phillips also spoke about one of the bills he sponsored this session, which had yet to be signed into law. The bill, a comprehensive law enforcement bill, was signed later on Friday afternoon, just before Greitens formally resigned.
“A key component in that bill,” Phillips said, “is the justice reinvestment piece. That deals primarily with treatment centers and drug courts, which I think have to be our future unless we want to keep housing non-violent offenders at the cost of millions of dollars every year for our taxpayers. I think for those that are willing to pay the price for rehabilitation and so forth, it’s a great way to go.”
As construction on the Judicial Center is ongoing, more offices will likely have temporary moves, although those have yet to be announced. Continue watching the Chronicle for more information.
