Kane County courthouse on tap for extra parking, security upgrades

Expanded parking and security upgrades at the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles are among projects the county plans to fund with an estimated $6.3 million in new state sales tax revenue, officials said Thursday.

Tim Harbaugh, the county's director of environmental and building management, told county board members additional parking is sorely needed at the judicial campus, particularly due to increased traffic from the recent opening of the new sheriff's office on site.

He proposed adding parallel-style spaces - about 115 in all - around the perimeter of a large green-space area north of the facility along Route 38.

"There's an immediate need," Harbaugh said, "and it's only going to get worse" once the new 640-bed county jail also officially opens.

In addition, officials are pursuing several security upgrades at the courthouse, including special doors to prevent unauthorized visitors from entering after hours, as well as the facility's first secured parking area for judges, prosecutors and other court personnel.

Currently, Harbaugh said, there are parts of the building where suspected criminals can view judges and attorneys park their personal vehicles.

"It's really a bad situation," said county board member Thomas Van Cleave (R-Batavia). "We're fortunate nothing tragic has happened yet."

Projects at the judicial center account for roughly $850,000, or about 13 percent, of $6.3 million in new sales tax revenue the county expects to receive over the next couple of years. The funds will be generated by a 0.25 percent retail tax instituted in Illinois' collar counties by the state legislature earlier this year, according to Harbaugh.

The funding also is being earmarked locally for $3.1 million in emergency service improvements, including relocating the county's 911 dispatch center for $1.1 million, and $1.5 million to replace older emergency vehicles. All of the improvements are slated for completion by the end of fiscal 2011.

On Thursday, the county board's administration committee voted 4-0 to tentatively approve the project list. A final vote is scheduled for Aug. 12.