"This is the brightest day for Rock Island County that we have seen in years." That's what Chief Judge Walter Braud said this afternoon, as he and county officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new annex to the justice center.
Braud thanked the Rock Island County Board for approving the sale of $28 million in bonds to pay for the project. The three-story building will include four courtrooms and offices for court administration, the circuit clerk, and the state's attorney and his staff.
Rock Island County State's Attorney, John McGehee, says the Recorder of Deeds is the only office in the courthouse that will not move into the new annex. He says with the limited budget, space will be tight but satisfactory and much better than the current conditions in the old courthouse.
The sheriff's department will also have space to hold suspects, and a walkway will be built to transfer them between courtrooms and the jail. It'll take about one-and-a-half years to build. The site is located on the north and east sides of the justice center on Third Avenue in downtown Rock Island.
