Will County reports progress on courthouse repairs, annex renovations and safety upgrades

Will County facilities staff reported progress on a range of capital projects during a committee meeting, including continued repairs to the old courthouse, upcoming contractor bids for the court annex, parking-lot resurfacing and upgrades to veteran and archives facilities.

The update, delivered by Mr. Fern, a facilities staff member, covered scaffolding removal and stone replacement at the old courthouse, completed and planned parking-lot work, roof and glass replacement at the Copperfield Building for the Veterans Assistance Commission, and life-safety improvements across county properties.

The courthouse work remains one of the meeting’s largest items. "Water infiltrated behind the stone, froze again," Mr. Fern said, describing the freeze-thaw process that he said pushed stone loose. He said crews are removing scaffolding as stones are cut and reinstalled; about 16 pieces of stone are expected to be rehung. He added that the underlying membrane has been resealed and taped to address the water barrier.

Mr. Fern said the county expects reports from two materials specialists and that the specialists’ report should be available soon. "We will have our facilities report from the two material specialists that were on that site in the June," he said; the committee was told the report is expected by the end of next week.

On the court annex, facilities staff said bid openings are scheduled "tomorrow" to choose a contractor for renovations that will combine unused courtroom and chamber space on the second and third floors into more usable office space. The reconfiguration is meant to reduce leased space by consolidating three floors into two and making interior moves within county-owned buildings.

The River Valley juvenile detention center parking lot and the community health center lot were resurfaced and brought into Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, Mr. Fern said. New signage remains to be installed. He described work to reduce excessively steep ADA ramps and said the county will install updated signs where old signage had faded.

At the Copperfield Building, staff reported the roof work is complete and double-paned, UV-coated glass is being installed. Interior renovations were scheduled to begin June 9. Mr. Fern also described a bird-netting installation at the Archives Building, after repeated bird-nesting problems at a public entrance; he said the netting "really works" and has eliminated nesting and associated mess.

Facilities staff highlighted operational metrics: the county logged about 800 work orders, equating to roughly $20 per work order, and staff reported about 98% of work orders were completed on time. "The team is really moving," Mr. Fern said.

On life-safety measures, the county has implemented departmental safety monitors: each department selected two safety monitors who will carry laminated evacuation sheets and flashlights to support drills and evacuations. A delivery delay left some flashlight kits incomplete, and committee members asked staff to ensure redundancy of lights and batteries.

Facilities staff said a countywide facility needs assessment is about 75% complete for county-owned properties, including the ADF and River Valley sites, and that a merged facilities/space-needs report should be delivered in three to five weeks.

Committee members raised operational questions during the briefing, including the timing of parking-lot resurfacing (dependent on the asphalt plant and weather), the process for replacing courthouse stone, the expected content and timing of specialist reports, and whether preventive maintenance will be required after the stone work. Staff cautioned some details remain subject to the materials specialists’ findings.

The meeting ended after the committee approved the minutes from May 6. Staff asked committee members and the public to email questions to county staff or to Commissioner Axley; IT staff were invited to attend the next meeting for a technology update.

Looking ahead, staff said they will return with the specialists’ report, the completed facilities assessment and further scheduling detail for major parking-lot projects. The committee’s next meeting was announced for July 1.