Polk County Justice Center ribbon cutting Nov. 14
11/10/2016The Polk County Board of Supervisors and Fifth Judicial District are hosting a ribbon cutting at the newly renovated Polk County Justice Center at 222 5th Ave. in Des Moines on Monday, Nov. 14 at 3:30 p.m. Remarks will begin at 3:45 p.m.
Polk County Supervisor Tom Hockensmith said “the completion of the Justice Center is just one of three major renovations planned for the new courts complex in downtown that were made possible by the passing of an $81 million public referendum in November of 2013.”
The Polk County Justice Center is located in the former Wellmark/JC Penny building and is now home to juvenile court, magistrate court, small claims court and the Polk County Attorney. Construction is underway on the next phase that will renovate the Old Main Jail into a criminal courthouse. OPN Architects have already begun planning and design for the last phase of the project, which will be a complete renovation and restoration of the interior of the Historic Courthouse that will house probate, civil and family court.
Chief Judge Arthur Gamble said “this important referendum allows us to update the security measures in each of the three buildings and to co-locate all of our court services on one campus that will make it easier for the public to navigate.”
The first phase of the project was completed in October of 2014 with the restoration of the exterior of the Historic Courthouse. All three building are anticipated to be completed by November of 2020.
