Tearing Down Will County Courthouse Is Right Decision: Ferak

JOLIET, IL - One of the most important decisions facing the city of Joliet's downtown is still a year away, but it's been a hot topic, nevertheless. What should happen to the existing four-story Will County Courthouse once the new $215 million beauty opens for business across the street sometime next year?

Government officials are notorious for making bad decisions, or not making tough decisions at all. That's why last week's action by the Will County Board deserves recognition. On Thursday, according to an Alex Ortiz article in The Joliet Herald-News, the Will County Board voted to approve a resolution in favor demolishing the current Will County Courthouse after the new courthouse opens and all of the current courthouse staff are out of the building.

From my perspective, this is the correct decision. The demolition of the current courthouse can't come a minute too soon. Previously, some county officials had toyed with the idea of converting the building into another Will County Office building, but this was an awful idea and I'm glad it's been shot down.

The current building was built and designed for a courthouse, pure and simple. Now, it's outlived its usefulness. It's also an ugly building. And many courthouse staff have said the structure is deteriorating and that it often has leaky roof problems.

Last spring's demolition of the former Will County State's Attorney's Office on North Chicago Street across from the Rialto was a great step forward in terms of revitalization that is reshaping downtown Joliet. Ugly buildings and useless buildings need to go.

In 2020, downtown Joliet will be much better off with the current courthouse meeting its end with a crane and a wrecking ball.

Maybe downtown Joliet's biggest real estate investor, John Bays, will be interested in acquiring the bulldozed property. Then again, maybe an out of town entrepreneur will want the land, realizing it offers great potential for townhouses or condominiums.

And it wouldn't be out of the question for Joliet to entice a business to move their corporate headquarters to downtown Joliet, especially a company that may already have a strong presence, for example, at the CenterPointe Intermodal Center.

Another thought, based on other Midwestern communities I have visited and lived around, is to convert the current courthouse site into a family-themed amusement park or a community zoo.

Those are just a few ideas that come to mind.

Regardless of what happens, the Will County Board should be commended for making the right decision, agreeing that the current courthouse needs to be bulldozed. Getting the site back on the tax rolls and courting a private investment firm to acquire the property should be a top priority for Will County government officials as time moves forward.

The redevelopment of the current courthouse site presents a tremendous economic redevelopment opportunity for downtown Joliet. It's also important for Will County's politicians to think bold and be bold.

A Joliet native and former investigative reporter and editor with USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, John Ferak is Patch Editor for Joliet and also writes for Shorewood and Channahon-Minooka.