Ward building not desirable part of space solution for Kane judicial ctr.

Kane County officials haven't determined how to solve the ensuing space problem at the judicial center when three additional judges arrive at the end of the year.

They did informally agree last week, though, that any solution won't involve major changes at the old Montgomery Ward building in St. Charles if it can be avoided.

Kane County State's Attorney John Barsanti said work on the Montgomery Ward building is a waste of time and money. The building houses the Kane County Circuit Court Clerk offices. There's been recent discussion of converting some of the storage space at the old retail outlet into more office space or a courtroom.

"If you're going to build on the Montgomery Ward site, then it changes entirely what you're going to do at the judicial center," Barsanti said. "I don't see why you would want to put a lot of money into refurbishing the Montgomery Ward site. I think that's a waste of the funding. The Montgomery Ward thing does nothing for me long-term at all."

For the most part, members of the task force looking into how to solve the space problem at the judicial center agreed. The question now is whether the task force is dreaming too big for the county's pocketbook when it talks about long-term solutions.

The long-term plan favored by the task force would eventually create 16 new courtrooms at the judicial center with a new building wing and new parking garage.

Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay told the task force just because the expansion looks like the right plan, that doesn't mean it's the right time to do it.

"I don't want to be the wet blanket on all of this," McConnaughay said. "I love (the expansion plan). I don't know if we can afford it. You have to decide what you want to be long-term. Then you have to back into what you can afford. I think we need to look at the longer-term concepts, but we have to never forget the financial obligations of all this."

McConnaughay also alluded to the political ramifications of spending big tax dollars to construct new buildings at a time when taxpayers are still losing their homes.

Moving forward, the public perception of the plan might also be impacted by admissions by Barsanti and Chief Judge F. Keith Brown that there actually is space currently to house all staff, including the three new judges, but only in inefficient and logistically uncomfortable areas.