&
SERVING
G
rowing caseloads in Jackson
County, Wisconsin, have
caused a judicial conundrum
for years. The County had more work
than its lone judge could handle but
no space to house a sorely needed
second judge.
“We were having visiting judges
coming in. Sometimes we had as
many as three, and we were bouncing
them around, putting them in the
County Board Room, conference
2│ TRENDS
PROTECTING
Courthouse addition delivers desperately needed
courtroom while solving security issues
By Jennifer Schmidt
rooms – wherever we could put
them,” explained Mike Kutcher,
Jackson County’s maintenance
supervisor. – in its existing facility or elsewhere on
its grounds – to build one.
But despite repeatedly ranking first in
a workload study determining which
counties were in greatest judicial
need, one critical step needed to take
place first: the County needed to have
a space for the second judge. Weighing the options
It didn’t. And it didn’t have the space
Or did it?
County officials contacted Ayres
Associates, who’d done previous
remodeling projects in the building
through the years, to complete
a concept design study and
determine whether an addition to
the courthouse was feasible. The