Residents of Union County, Ill., are enjoying a new $10.7 million courthouse, replacing a pre-Civil War facility that served the county for 155 years. Designed by HOK of St. Louis, the new courthouse allows Union County to consolidate government services at one location.
The 46,000-square-foot courthouse was made possible after Union County and HOK teamed to resolve an unexpected financing shortfall.
“This budget was a challenge from the start when our bonding agency reduced our construction allocation from $17 million to $12.5 million after design had begun,” said Mike Smith, Union County project coordinator, in a written statement. “Working with HOK, we were able to clearly outline our needs, trim costs by 30 percent and remain within the reduced bonding capacity.”
Union County also helped the local economy with the project. It worked closely with HOK to to best maximize the region’s workforce and incorporate locally-sourced materials. With a large native masonry industry, HOK tailored the exterior design to be predominantly brick and stone. Union County and HOK also hosted contractor forums to encourage local participation from contractors and trades.
Joining HOK and River City Construction on the project were BRiC Partnership, LLC, engineering design; Clarida & Ziegler Engineering, civil engineering; and Hodgson Associates, project facilitator. The project was funded by a one cent sales tax approved by taxpayers in 2010.
