Consolidated courts system coming together inside and out
May 8—GOSHEN — Developers are edging forward in plans to begin construction on Elkhart County's new combined courthouse.
As local courts prepare to eventually come together under one roof, steps are also being taken to reorganize them and centralize their administration. The project appears to remain on pace for ground to be broken in late summer, around August or September, Elkhart County Commissioner Frank Lucchese said Wednesday, after the county's 2021 Leadership Summit ended.
The engineering design process will start soon, Lucchese said, now that project leaders are close to finalizing assessments of space needs for the courts and departments that will share the facility.
It's a big task and a big change for the community, but the county's judges are said to be united in believing this project will be an improvement from the current arrangement.
"They want to do what's best for your civil litigants, for your folks going through divorces, kids that are going through situations, victims in this county — they want to make it better for the users," said Ross Maxwell, the county's new and first court administrator. "I think they care about making it a better experience for the citizens here."
Indianapolis-based firm Performance Services has partnered with Ancon Construction of Goshen to lead the engineering and construction work. The commissioners are scheduled to hear a recommendation on an owners insurance program for the project during their meeting Monday.
At a projected cost of about $63 million, plans call for constructing a four-story, approximately 170,000-square-foot facility to bring the county's seven courts, the Juvenile Court and related services under one roof. The courts will exit the current courthouses in Goshen and Elkhart and move to the site along Reliance Road, located somewhat between the two cities' downtown areas.
The Goshen City Council voted about three weeks ago to provide $1.5 million toward upgrading and improving streets around the site, including Reliance and Peddler's Village roads. The county will contribute another $500,000 to that work.
Lucchese said the courthouse will be built on a hill, and with the terrain, the surrounding parking areas will be about 11 feet lower than the structure.
"You're going to see a building, and the cars will all be down below it," Lucchese said. "It'll be a nice focal point."
SPECIALIZATION PLANS
Parallel to the construction plans, work is underway to reorganize the county's courts with a focus on specialties. Maxwell said the plan is to divide the courts into legal categories, like criminal, civil, family and court services — the latter, addressing services like probation and detention.
