County showcases new courthouse
By Daniel Arens
As construction and remodeling of the Mercer County Courthouse and Jail finally approaches its end, members of the public were invited last week to see the nearly complete expansion before county employees and jail prisoners take their places in the new building.
The tours were held Aug. 30-31, with three guided tours each day. Several of the county commissioners and county employees gathered together to help guide the tours and talk about the process of the construction.
Before the tour itself began, Commissioner Wes Gunsch and Mercer County Auditor Shana Brost gave a brief introduction outside the south entrance to the new building, which will become the only entrance into the courthouse/jail for the future.
Gunsch stressed that the primary motivation for the $11.25 million project was security concerns. He said the commission foresaw an increase in jail inmates and also an increase in the amount of time inmates might stay in the jail, due to decisions at the federal and state levels of government.
