Union County dedicates new courthouse
JONESBORO, Ill. — It’s out with the old and in with the new in one southern Illinois county.
Some 300 people gathered Saturday to dedicate a new courthouse in Union County. It replaces a 155-year-old building that had fallen into disrepair.
The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan quoted former county commissioner Randy Lambdin as saying the old building was the third-longest functioning courthouse in Illinois. He says it served the community well.
But age and storm damage had taken its toll. And voters backed a 1 percent sales tax to construct the new courthouse in Jonesboro. It cost around $10 million.
County Clerk Terry Bartruff says the new building has more workspace and storage.
And Circuit Clerk Lorraine Moreland says officials should be more efficient in the new building. She calls it “a blessing.”