Jefferson County is taking a first, tentative step toward possibly replacing its courthouse and jail.
The Jefferson County Council has awarded a $132,500 contract to Treanor HL in Kansas City to study the space requirements for the county’s courthouse, jail and Sheriff’s Office operations and recommend improvements.
County Executive Dennis Gannon said the county, the Sheriff’s Office and the 23rd Judicial Circuit will share the cost of the study.
Treanor was graded the highest of nine firms that submitted proposals to complete the study.
“They’ll do a space assessment and determine how much space we’ll need both now and in the foreseeable future,” Gannon said.
County officials have talked about the possibility of replacing some or all of the buildings.
“The study also may consider renovations to the current facilities,” Gannon said. “They will consider all alternatives.”
Gannon said he hopes the study also will include estimates on how much it will cost to either build or renovate.
“Estimates always will depend on what kind of buildings we want, but we’re hoping for a good starting point,” he said. “And I want to emphasize that if we decide down the line to build new facilities, it will be done conservatively, but with an eye toward full functionality.”
The Jefferson County Courthouse, 300 Main St., in Hillsboro was built in 1863 and has had several updates and additions since then. For most of its life, it housed most county government departments and offices, but now, it primarily provides space for the 23rd Circuit Court operations, including courtrooms, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the Circuit Clerk’s Office.
The Jefferson County Jail, 510 First St., in Hillsboro opened in 1991 to house 116 prisoners, but since then has been expanded to accommodate 334, although Sheriff Dave Marshak has said the number of prisoners housed there often exceeds that number.
The Sheriff’s Office is housed in the Jefferson County Justice Center, 400 First St., in Hillsboro. That building, which opened in 2008, also includes the county’s Municipal Court operations and County Council offices.
Gannon said the study may consider whether it’s advisable to have prisoners transported from the jail to the courthouse.
“I believe this could be a safety concern,” he said. “Hopefully, we will identify ways that we can address this.”
Gannon said the survey, which he hopes will be finished in “about four months,” is only a first step in the process.
“We can’t talk about financing until we have cost estimates, and we can’t talk about cost estimates until we determine our needs. Right now, we don’t even know how to start this discussion. The study will give us a framework.”
Gannon said he has met with members of a committee state Sen. Paul Wieland (R-Imperial) formed in July that has examined some of the same issues the study will cover.
“I’ve met and will continue to meet with members of that committee to coordinate our efforts,” Gannon said.
Circuit Clerk Mike Reuter, the chair of that nine-member committee, said he believes the study will be “complementary” to the panel’s work.
“This is a great first step,” he said. “We’ve been working with the county executive to coordinate our efforts.”
Reuter said the group has met six or seven times since it was formed in July.
“We’ve been identifying possible real estate options, talked to officeholders and judges about their needs, things like that,” he said.
Reuter also said the group is considering renovation of the existing buildings.
“We’re studying all aspects of this issue,” he said. “We also are considering the possibility of building a new courthouse like they did with Busch Stadium – in the parking lot of the courthouse while the current courthouse remains open. We’re open to all ideas.”
The County Council voted 6-0 at its Jan. 28 meeting to award the contract for the study as part of its consent agenda, with council member Charles Groeteke (District 4, Barnhart) abstaining from the vote.