Cole County Courthouse set to receive renovations
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Cole County Courthouse has been standing in Jefferson City for more than 100 years, but it’s beginning to be in need some some repairs.
During Tuesday’s Cole County Commission meeting, Judge Jon Beetem made a presentation about repairs to the courthouse, which included the main courtroom on the third floor. The commission is supportive of the renovations.
“When you're dealing with a hundred-plus-year-old building you have got to repair things and fix things and bring them into the 21st Century,” Cole County Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman said.
Despite the building's age and request for repairs, Beetem believes the courtroom is in good shape, especially compared to other courtrooms he has been in across the state.
“It’s a seven,” Beetem said, when asked how he would rate it on a scale of 1-10 with one being the worst. “I mean it’s big. You got space for everything. Nothing is falling on our heads.”
Attorney Joe Bednar -- who has been using the courthouse since 1992 agrees.
“I would say in the seven, eight range. it’s a great courthouse.”
Beetem said repairs could be needed because of the amount of use the building gets.
“It’s like any building. it receives a lot of traffic. this courtroom here is our high-volume courtroom here so it’s not uncommon to handle 80-100 cases,” Beetem said. “But its a high-traffic courtroom and it gets some wear and tear.”
Juror chairs are worn down with holes and some of them are missing pieces.
Other areas of concern include paint chipping from the ceiling, uncomfortable benches in the gallery and outdated carpeting. Bushman also said there is also some mold in the courthouse.
The repairs will be expensive at more than $600,000, according to Bushman.
"But again, you can’t go by those prices because the cost of materials has gone up. everything has gone up,” Bushman said.
While the price is high, Bednar thinks it is worth the investment.
“I think sometimes we are afraid to use taxpayer money to use it on these public buildings but again that is one of the most frequent uses that the public gets out of government buildings,” he said.
Beetum said the Commission has been supportive and that appointments have already been made. One issue: Finding time to allow workers to come into the courtroom.
“The problem is being able to schedule any renovation at a time we don’t need the courthouse. and that’s a challenge because we are so busy,” Beetem said.
There is no timeline for when repairs will take place. Bushman told ABC 17 News they will open it up for contractors to bid on it but that the process can take some time.
He would also like to commission a mural for the courtroom in honor of the United States' 250th anniversary in 2026.
