Chief Judge Serious in Pushing for New Will Courthouse

Will County Chief Judge Richard Schoenstedt has been meeting with a developer about plans for a new courthouse, which he will present to the county board when a cost estimate is available, a published report said.

The existing courthouse in downtown Joliet, built in the 1960s, has long been deemed overcrowded, antiquated and lacking in security safeguards given the number of criminal and civil cases heard there.

In fact, the county is eligible to hire five more judges based on the 2010 U.S. Census but there is insufficient space to accommodate them in the 14 W. Jefferson St. building, with its 22 courtrooms, or the courthouse annex, which holds six more, Schoenstedt told the Joliet Herald News.

“This is a terrible building from a safety and security standpoint,” he told the paper.

Physically, the building is deteriorating. There are water leaks, and Schoenstedt recounted one instance in which part of the ceiling fell on top of a jury.

While it seems likely the new building would be built downtown, possibly across the street where the First Midwest Bank building is located, officials have also looked that McDonough Street property where the Illinois Youth Center used to be.
 
Schoenstedt said he's interested in exploring the possibility of a private-public venture to fund the new building, estimated to cost about $200 million, in addition to the traditional options of selling of bonds or setting aside tax income until enough is available for construction.