Following the dedication ceremony of the Perry County Joint Justice Center held Monday, Oct. 13, Presiding Commissioner Sauer spoke about the delays in holding the event and the opportunity for people to tour the facility.
“As you know, the building dedication is an event we actually had scheduled three times,” he said. “Our initial goal was to have an open house for the public in December of 2024, and we could not due to delays with elevator installations and functionality, which limited accessibility for our community.
“We then moved the event to early January 2025, when we were hit with the ice storm. And then in March, we wanted to offer limited tours, and we had the tornado. The initial plan was to host a community open house when the building was empty.
In mid-January of 2025, that was no longer the case. “Today, the PCJJC is a fully functioning justice center with two operational law enforcement agencies, courts, prosecutor’s office and a jail. This is a secured facility that houses incarcerated individuals, sensitive court records, trial evidence, as well as weapons and other tactical gear necessary for law enforcement agencies to do their jobs. Unfortunately, it is no longer logistically possible to host a community open house in what is now a secured operational facility.
“With that being said, Sheriff Jason Klaus will be offering limited guided tours of portions of the building that are accessible from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, and again, from 9 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30, These tours will showcase the parts of the Justice Center that the public can access safely without compromising the integrity of the building’s intended purpose, which is to safely and securely execute the many branches of justice for our community while also allowing our criminal justice staff members to perform their duties as required.
“Like all Perry County facilities, public portions of the PCJJC are available to be viewed by the public at any time during regular hours of operation.”
