Penzel: New courthouse will have a touch of old style

The proposed justice center set for construction in uptown Jackson will have an eye to both old and new, said Phil Penzel, CEO of Penzel Construction in Jackson.

The "tower" will extend from foundation to roofline, and be faced with limestone in a similar style to the existing county courthouse to the south of the planned center.

An aluminum plaque on the tower will feature a profile of the existing courthouse, and three flagpoles will be erected in front of the tower.

The limestone, Penzel said, will be quarried in Perryville, Missouri.

Sections of the justice center not faced with limestone will be faced with Dryvet, Penzel said.

Inside, windows will let in plenty of natural light, and the courtrooms will have small high windows to allow light to filter in as well.

Inmate transfer will be handled via a secure, indoor passage connected to the existing county jail and the justice center, Penzel said.

It's an advantage over the current setup, where inmates must be walked on a sidewalk from the jail to the courthouse, he added.

Once the justice center is constructed, "the inmates can't cross paths with anyone," Penzel said, not county employees or family members or anyone else who might be at the facility.

The $18 million facility will be 82,000 square feet, with an underground parking facility and six courtrooms, at the corner of North Missouri Street and West Washington Street, adjacent to the existing Sheriff's Department and county jail.

And, Penzel said, an additional parking lot will be constructed near the American Legion hall.

Between the parking garage and parking lot, 198 parking spaces will be created, Penzel said, five more than the required 193.

Displaced parking is included in that figure, he added.

On the first floor, the main entrance will open into a screening area, monitored by the nearby sheriff's office, which will relocate into the space, Penzel said.

A public corridor will have entrances into a small and large courtroom, and a jury orientation room, Penzel said.

Plans include a secure room between all courtrooms for inmates.

The circuit clerk's office and information technology support also will be on the first floor, and a space for the judges to work, he added.

On the second floor, two large courtrooms will each have a jury room for deliberations, Penzel said, at the request of the county.

The prosecuting attorney and staff will have office space on the second floor.

On the third floor, judges' chambers and room for visiting judges will be in place, and two more courtrooms, as well as drug court.

"I can't emphasize enough the power of our team's collaborative efforts," Penzel said. "It was unbelievable. It was magic. There's not a soul who didn't put heart and soul into this effort."

The design-build process requires each team to create two proposals: one, a technical proposal including scope, materials and building plans, and the other, a cost proposal. The technical proposal is scored separately, then cost is factored into the team's final score.

The team with the higher score is chosen, and Penzel/TreanorHL's was accepted last Friday.

Penzel said he hopes to break ground on the parking lot near the American Legion hall by the end of September, weather permitting, and foundation work could begin as early as November.

The justice center is slated for completion in March 2020.

The construction company and design partner TreanorHL Architects of Kansas City, Missouri, as well as local engineers and subcontractors, comprise the design-build team that has already designed the project, and will construct the three-story building.

The team was chosen by the Cape Girardeau County Commissioners: Presiding Commissioner Clint Tracy, Commissioner Charlie Herbst and Commissioner Paul Koeper, with the guidance of design-build consultant Navigate Building Solutions of St. Louis.

Tracy announced the choice of Penzel/TreanorHL in a special session meeting Sept. 14.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630