Union County to get new courthouse

JONESBORO, IL (KRCU) - The years finally caught up with the old Union County Courthouse in Jonesboro, Illinois. After 150 years of service the courthouse is being replaced.

Project manager Mike Smith said that renovating the courthouse would have cost nearly as much as constructing a new building.

"What we find out was that the cost was someplace between $7 and $9 million. That's just for the refurbishment and still wouldn’t necessarily contain all of the ADA requirements," Smith said.

The new courthouse has a construction budget of a little less then $10.5 million. Like its predecessor, it is intended to serve the county for at least one hundred years.

The new three story building will house the new sheriff’s office, four clerks’ offices, a public meeting room, two courtrooms and offices for a judge and the state’s attorney. The new courthouse will be erected right next to the old one.

Smith says the site presents unique design challenges.

"We have an unusual site to deal with, the topography, it’s a steep slope to the north. And there’s four old houses, the old jail, and the old building itself," Smith said.

Construction will begin in September.

Tim Filla, KRCU

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