ELLSWORTH – A Pierce County Ad Hoc committee is taking the first steps toward a possible new judicial facility adjacent to the sheriff’s office at 555 W. Overlook Drive in Ellsworth.

The committee, comprised of county board members Jon Aubart, Scott Bjork, Neil Gulbranson, Jim Ashbach and Michael Kahlow; Judge Elizabeth Rohl and retired Judge Joseph Boles, voted unanimously at the first Judicial Facility Planning Committee meeting Tuesday, May 23 to forward a request to the Finance & Personnel Committee for approval of a courthouse needs assessment and funding source. Chair Aubart said many committee members, whom he appointed, served on the Jail Ad Hoc Committee when a new jail was being proposed.

Randy LaFaive from Market & Johnson and Joel Dunning, principal architect from Wold Engineering, presented a $21,000 proposal for the architectural and engineering consulting services required for a facility assessment of a possible new courts building and remodeling the existing historic courthouse, located at 414 W. Main St. Their team, if approved, will assess the facilities’ condition and identify current deficiencies, future needs and design options.

“When the new Jail and Sheriff's Office was designed in 2015, we knew at some point the Circuit Court related functions would need to be addressed given the limited space and significant limitations for expansion at the current Courthouse,” said County Administrator Jason Matthys. “In a schematic design report created in August of 2015 by Potter Lawson architect and engineering firm, future expansion of the new Jail and Sheriff's Office included space for additional inmate housing as well as an attached courthouse facility on the site plan.”

Matthys said courthouse security concerns, inmate transport to and from court, and increased court caseloads and the constraints associated with the current courthouse has been an ongoing concern of Law Enforcement and internal Security and Facilities committees since the jail/sheriff’s office was completed in 2017.

“And although the county and staff have taken prudent steps over time to address many of these issues and concerns, the current Courthouse facility is no sufficient to accommodate the needs for a safe, functional and efficient judicial facility,” Matthys said in a May 1 memo to F&P members. “The needs of the Circuit Court alone, with the increased need of adding a second Circuit Judge is hamstrung by the existing facility’s inability to expand and accommodate for additional staff and courtrooms as well as the ability to mitigate the safety of court participants and jurors, to the extent that we should, without expected significant renovation costs that would only address a handful of existing issues.”

On June 3, 2022 a former judge in Juneau County was murdered at his home in a targeted attack, Matthys pointed out.

“Although this did not take place at a courthouse, the tragedy sparked discussions about judicial and courthouse security,” Matthys said. “Part of that discussion included that the Wisconsin Supreme Court Marshal’s Office was prepared and available to conduct security inspections of court facilities throughout Wisconsin.”

The US Marshals Service inspected the Pierce County Courthouse in July 2022. The inspection identified clear needs for additional space, difficult in the current building due to safety, security and physical constraints.

“On Feb. 14, 2023, Judge Rohl met with the Law Enforcement Committee in closed session to discuss the results of the inspection, courthouse security concerns and space needs,” Matthys said. “No formal action was taken but the committee thought it would be appropriate and necessary for the County Board to be brought into the discussion.”

The County Board held a closed session with Rohl on April 18, 2023 to discuss the inspection findings and court needs. This led to F&P voting May 1, 2023 to create the ad hoc committee.

Wold said the facility assessment will be a collaborative process, starting with a kickoff meeting to establish the goals of what the study is trying to achieve. Staff members will be interviewed about their departments, expected growth, online working, etc.

“It will give a chance for each department to weigh in and establish their needs,” Wold said.

The study will determine how a new judicial center would correlate to the existing courthouse and a possible reconfiguration of that building and its departments.

“How could operations be supported by changes for better efficiency?” Wold asked. “We will tour other facilities, how they’re organized, and open our eyes to different possibilities out there.”

The assessment should take about three to four months.

“But we don’t stop developing options until we gain consensus,” Wold said.

Matthys said the Pierce County Office Building needs to be included in the equation, as the human services department’s needs are rapidly increasing. Moving court operations how to the jail will be easier, he said.

“You can define the building addition to what it needs to be,” he said. “It’s a blank space.”

The assessment will include conceptual diagrams of how departments would fit into the existing courthouse and new building.

Bjork questioned whether now is the appropriate time to push forward a new court building.

Rohl said some people are concerned the current courthouse will sit empty, but it will not be wasted space that turns into an eyesore. It will be used. Matthys said having court on the second floor is a barrier for many, even with an elevator. Aubart agreed.

“People don’t realize how unsafe the facility is for everybody,” he said.

He also said this process is a lot “less complex” than the new jail/sheriff’s office since the land is ready and waiting.  

“We want to be thorough, but we don’t want to diddle around either,” he said.

Rohl pointed out that in order to be allocated another judge, construction would need to be underway by 2025.

The committee plans to meet again at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 29. F&P will consider the request at its June 5 meeting, set for 4 p.m.