The Joint Justice Center took the next step into becoming a reality. The Perry County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of property for the location of the structure during their regular session meeting on Dec. 27.
The commissioners voted unanimously for the tract of land on North St. Joseph Street, west of Church Street, also known as the St. Boniface property, previously identified as Site E. The 6.65-acre tract of land was purchased for $625,000 from PSP Incorporated and St. Joe Property, LLC, which are both operated by the family of Crusher Emmendorfer.
“The property was selected in part that it is the location that gave our various agencies an opportunity to be as close to the center of the county and city as possible,” The Perry County Commissioners said in a joint statement. “The future home of the Justice Center especially keeps our local law enforcement as close to our schools, hospital and downtown area as possible. With the city and rural fire departments right across the road, it makes for a wonderful campus of public safety right in the heart of our community.”
Staying close to the center of Perryville was one of the main factors, as well as a modern court system that provides a certain level of safety within the new building.
“Our community founders set our past three courthouses in the present location of the current courthouse. Every time a new courthouse was needed, they built the new one on a different part of the same location, but still in the center of our community,” the statement said. “Our courthouse is now listed on the National Register of Historical Places and has served as the political and social center of our community for more than 117 years. A modern court system and the other departments that will call the Justice Center home require a level of security that cannot be provided in our current courthouse without severe alterations to the structure, but those operations should remain in our downtown area, and the future home of the Justice Center offers that.”
The property was selected from a field of seven different locations and was eventually narrowed down to three in September 2021. The Justice Center was made possible in April 2021 when voters passed, with a 62 percent return, the Prop Court Operations Police Sheriff (COPS) initiative, a capital improvements sales tax of half of one percent for 20 years to fund the project, which is expected to generate $1.5 million annually. The structure is expected to house the Perry County Sheriff’s office, Perryville Police Department, Emergency Management, court systems, 911 dispatch and jail.
It has been a grand undertaking, according to Perryville City Administrator Brent Buerck.
“We have hit some bumps in the road and it looked like we weren’t going to get there,” Buerck said. “Now here we are.”
Phase two of the project is facility design space programming where there will be more details on the various spaces within the building. Next, a request for qualifications will be sent out to see who is interested on working to design and ultimately construct the facility.
It will be large enough to hold all the offices and provide room for future growth.
Construction on the facility is anticipated to begin as early as fall 2022 but could possibly move into 2023. The project will exceed $20 million, but the commission is working with financial advisor Piper Sandler on the overall project budget. Logistical and utility infrastructure cost was heavily considered in the evaluation of the sites.
The Justice Center is anticipated to be open and functioning as early as late 2023.
