New Park City branch court set to open

Officials had not yet cut the ribbon Friday in front of the new Lake County branch court in Park City when the first customer showed up.

Lake County Circuit Clerk Sally Coffelt and some of her employees were admiring the new $7 million building at 301 Greenleaf St. that opens Tuesday when a man walked in and wanted to pay a traffic ticket.

"We have all the equipment here and are ready to do business," Coffelt said. "So we took his money and thanked him for coming."

Equipped with two courtrooms, staff offices and a 50-person multipurpose room, the 14,175-square-foot building replaces the Lakehurst branch court.

Chief Circuit Judge James Booras said having the county own the building, as it does the branch courts in Mundelein and Round Lake Beach, takes the burden of dealing with landlords off the government's back.

With seating for 150 people in each courtroom, Booras said, the new building should make it easier for people to swiftly get their day in court.

"Providing improved access to justice is one of the shared goals of Lake County and the 19th Judicial Circuit," he said. "This new facility is a significant step towards accomplishing that goal."

The court will serve Bannockburn, Deerfield, Zion, Gurnee, Highland Park, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, North Chicago, Park City, Waukegan, Winthrop Harbor and Great Lakes Naval Training Center.

Tickets issues by the state departments of conservation, natural resources and revenue, as well as the secretary of state's police and state police districts 2 and 15 will also be handled there.

Court statistics show there were 84,533 cases filed last year at the Lakehurst courthouse the new building replaces.

Lake County Board Chairman Suzi Schmidt said the project came about through a partnership between the county and Park City officials in developing the Greenleaf Corridor Improvement Plan.

She said she believes the courthouse and the traffic it will generate will spur greater economic development in the area.