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County posts Justice Center project website; schematic design and jail tours continue
Summary
County staff launched a project website and summarized recent jail tours, upcoming workshops and a timeline that targets pricing in October and a decision in November.
PORTAGE COUNTY — County project staff said they have launched a public website to share updates about the Justice Center projects — the courthouse and jail — and outlined a schedule of workshops and tours as the teams continue schematic design.
Speaker 3, the project manager, described a soft launch of the website that will host executive summaries and a project timeline. “We plan on doing kind of a monthly executive summary, and that will go the length of the project,” Speaker 3 said. The website includes project history, FAQs and a way for the public to submit questions that staff will route to the appropriate team member.
Project staff summarized recent site visits and design work. Team members, including jail leadership and the design firm, toured four jails in Minnesota on June and July dates and visited additional county facilities; Speaker 3 said those tours helped the team examine features that worked well and those that did not. “They were very informational,” Speaker 3 said of the tours.
The project remains in schematic design, Speaker 3 said. “We have a few more workshops, 1 in August, 1 in September, and we’re headed towards pricing in October and then hopefully, a decision coming in November,” Speaker 3 said. The schematic work is informing cost estimates and design decisions for how the courthouse and jail will share elements such as a lobby and circulation.
The project team acknowledged multiple specialty contributors, including the design firm and county staff. Speaker 3 credited personnel — named in the meeting as Maria and Todd among others — for work on the website and coordination. The team demonstrated technology used in design work, including a 3-D laser scan used to create precise measurements of interior spaces, and said the single-point entry concept for the courthouse remains under consideration.
No formal action was taken during this update; staff encouraged the public to visit the site and submit questions through the posted Q&A form.
