according to Gene Simon, who has donated his
understanding of construction and building repair to the
County since 1994. He was chairman of the County Board
when Ayres Associates completed a study of the County’s
facility needs about 10 years ago.
“That brought us to a somewhat startling realization that
a three-phase building program was the solution,” Simon
said.
The first phase relieved courthouse crowding by
constructing a new office building for all non-court
functions. The nearly 50,000-square-foot, two-story building
houses county government offices, county board space, and
land use offices. The second phase focused on the jail, with
remodeling and a 27,000-square-foot addition that improved
prisoner intake, booking, visiting, kitchen and laundry, and
administration areas. The facility now has a 132-bed jail
“pod” designed for safety and efficiency and an additional
50 beds in the Huber dorm. Ayres Associates worked with
Lincoln County on both buildings; the combined cost of the
two projects was approximately $14.5 million.
The third phase – updating the historic courthouse – was
much more involved. The topic became highly controversial,
reflecting area residents’ feelings about the building.
“The Lincoln County Courthouse is the symbol of the
City of Merrill,” Simon said. “The Chamber of Commerce
and several businesses use a photo or drawing of the building
as an advertisement or logo. It is an impressive structure for
a small valley town. It is visible from the Highway 51
freeway and greets travelers at the heart of the Merrill
center-city business district.”
The 9th Judicial District, however, had to emphasize
the function of the space rather than its historic or aesthetic
appeal, District Court Administrator Susan Byrnes recalled.
“There needed to be a separation between secure detainee
movement, secure employee space, and public space,” she
said.
The two courtrooms were on the second floor on
opposite sides of the building, said Bob Brown, an Ayres
Associates senior architect who served as project manager
of all three building phases. “Law enforcement would escort
detainees from the jail across the street through the public
entryway into the building, and they’d sit on a bench in
the public area, overlooking the rotunda, waiting to go into
court,” he said. “It was not a safe, secure arrangement.”
The building was not in compliance with the Americans
with Disabilities Act, and seating for jury members was
uncomfortable, Byrnes said.
The addition to the Lincoln County Courthouse was designed to
match the lines of the historic building. Interior remodeling was
completed with attention to preserving the original structure as
much as possible.
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