Washington County presents master plan for new judicial center and covered arena at expo

Washington County officials heard a detailed master-plan update June 9 that advanced concepts for a new judicial center and a large covered arena at the county expo.

Planner Katie Burch told the commissioners the presentation focused on “what we know for sure” after more than a year of stakeholder engagement and facility evaluation. She said the existing 1939 courthouse cannot be brought into safe, code-compliant service for large jury events and that the most pressing deficiencies are insecure circulation and life-safety constraints: “the lack of secure separation between the public, the employees … and the incarcerated” and courtrooms routinely operating at greater than safe capacity, she said.

The recommended response is a two-story judicial center of roughly 70,000 square feet connected to the county jail by a secure corridor so incarcerated people can remain in detention while appearing in court. Burch said the design would provide separate circulation for judges, attorneys, employees, the public and law enforcement and would include three dedicated courtrooms plus a flex space that could become a fourth courtroom in the future. She cited an analysis by a court-planning consultant that projected the courtroom needs and supported the programing numbers.

On the expo (fairgrounds) side of Old Independence Road, Burch said a 2024 market study identified livestock and equestrian events as the site’s primary economic opportunity. Her priority project there is a covered arena of about 75,000 square feet designed to host rodeos, livestock shows and community events; she projected a seating range “right around 2,300 all the way up to 3,000” depending on configuration.

Burch emphasized phasing and flexibility: the arena would be offered as a pre-engineered building so elements such as a warm-up arena, stall barn and concessions could be built as alternates; the judicial center is planned with four tiers of expansion so it can grow without early replacement. She also called out immediate infrastructure needs at the expo—electrical, plumbing and drainage—that must be addressed to allow more frequent rentals and simultaneous events.

The presentation addressed site logistics in detail: a proposed sallyport and a grade-sensitive inmate corridor entering the judicial center at a basement level; secure employee parking; separation of public and detention areas to reduce law-enforcement burdens; and opportunities to share parking across the road during large events.

County officials and stakeholders in the meeting repeatedly framed the projects as attempts to balance historic preservation, public safety and community use. Burch said portions of the historic courthouse should be adapted for smaller public gatherings where feasible, while new construction would handle higher-capacity and high-security court functions.

Next steps described in the presentation include continued department-specific floor-plan vetting, electrical and plumbing repair work at the expo as immediate priorities, completing the court-planning study details and pursuing FEMA floodplain map amendments for portions of the fairgrounds where surveys show the existing line is inaccurately placed.

The court took no formal vote on the master-plan presentation itself; commissioners and stakeholders thanked the presenter and discussed timing and funding at length. The planning team said it will return with more detailed plans and cost estimates for the court to consider in future budget cycles.