PERRYVILLE — At its regularly scheduled meeting December 27, 2021 the Perry County Commission passed Resolution 2012-12 authorizing the County to purchase Site E, commonly referred to as the Emmendorfer or Old St. Boniface property, on St. Joseph Street near downtown Perryville, to construct the Perry County Joint Justice Center.
The Perry County Commission issued this statement on the purchase:
“After an extensive evaluation of the final three sites, we voted unanimously to select Site E as the future home of the Joint Justice Center.
Our evaluation included exhaustive geological and environmental research and testing through Intertek PSI and Sitex.
To determine the effects on the site from demolition of past structures eight test pits were dug with soil samples taken and no contaminates existed on the property that would require remediation.
Throughout this evaluation we considered the cost of the property as well as infrastructure cost such as excavation and installation of roads and utilities that are critical to develop the property prior to facility construction.
Site E provides the most readily available infrastructure egress and utility access of all the properties and any dollars we don’t have to use to build access roads and moving utilities are resources we can put into the actual construction of the building.
Presiding County Commissioner Mike Sauer later explained that the site selected will make the best use of the funding available for the project. He noted that the other two sites which were considered for the project were located on the Bypass, were more expensive and would have required the expenditure of funds for infrastructure.
Sauer pointed out that inflation and the rising cost of construction materials have already eaten into the amount the county can spend on the project, so cost was a big factor in the commission’s decision.
In addition:
- The property was purchased for $625,000 from PSP Incorporated and St. Joe Property, LLC which are both operated by the family of Crusher Emmendorfer.
- At this time, we do not have a true square footage to provide you as the space programming portion of the project is presently under way. The facility will be large enough to house the offices and departments who will call the Justice Center home and take into consideration future growth to the point that budget will allow. Budget drives everything and without the voters approving the sales tax this project would not be possible.
- Seven different locations were considered for the site before the field was narrowed to three locations that were evaluated for viability
- We will soon enter phase two of the facility design space programming where we will get much more detailed on the various spaces in the facility. After the design space programming is done, we will put together a request for qualifications out to find out who is interested in working with us to design and ultimately construct our Justice Center.
- Construction on the facility is anticipated to begin as early as Fall of 2022 but could move into 2023. The project will exceed $20 million but we are still working with our financial advisor Piper Sandler on the overall project budget. This entire project is budget driven. Logistical and utility infrastructure cost was heavily considered in evaluating the sites.
- The facility is anticipated to be open and functioning as early as late 2023
- 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 future home of the Justice Center especially keeps our local law enforcement as close to our schools, hospital and downtown area as possible and 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.
Our community founders set our past three Courthouses in the present location of our current courthouse, every time a new courthouse was needed, they built the new one on a different part of the same property but still in the center of our community.
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 over 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 alteration of the structure, but those operations should remain in our downtown area, the future home of the Justice Center offers that.
Timeline
April 2021: Voters pass Prop COPS; a capital improvements sales tax of half of 1 percent for 20 years to fund the construction of a new joint justice center to house the Perry County Sheriff’s Office, Perryville Police Department, Emergency Management, court system, 911 dispatch and jail. The sales tax is expected to generate $1.5 million annually.
May 2021: Site selection process began with seven potential spots being considered.
June 2021: Search for a Design/Build firm began, while evaluation of potential sites continued.
August 2021: Detailed surveys are administered to staff member of entities to be housed in the joint justice center.
September 2021: A public hearing was held giving constituents an opportunity to learn more about the joint justice center. Based on data collected, and surveys, potential sites were narrowed to three locations
October 2021: Building design consultants, Navigate Building Solutions toured all existing justice[1]related facilities, and meet with stakeholders to address future space needs for the facility to ensure functional areas would be designed for each department.
November 2021: Site testing conducted to determine the various levels of viability of the remaining sites, while commission meets with financial consultants.
December 2021: Based on extensive research and data collection, commissioners vote to purchase Property E, along W. St Joseph St in Perryville