GALLATIN COUNTY – Gallatin County is continuing to move forward with plans for its new Law and Justice Center.
The design plans for the new 112,000 square foot facility are nearly finalized.
“This will be a building that is purpose-built. It won’t be a repurposed building that’s been remodeled three or five times. It will be purpose built and it will be more efficient, safer — it’s just a better project for the citizens,” Gallatin County Commissioner Don Seifert said.
The current Law and Justice Center will be demolished, and the new facility will be built on the current campus and will be connected to the detention center, which will increase public safety.
“In order to move inmates from the detention center into the courtrooms, there will be a series of tunnels and elevators underground, so those folks will remain secure and under the guard of the bailiff all the way to the courtroom and never intermingle with the public or the court staff,” Seifert said.
Separating from the city has its pros and cons, but the county is looking on the brighter side of things.
“The previous integration when we were with the city, we had two buildings. So with this one building, we’re actually able to save another footprint on the Law and Justice campus so it extends the life of the campus probably for another 75 years or better,” Seifert said.
The county plans to have a price for the building by mid to late July, and it will be on the November general election ballot.
Reporting by Emma Hamilton for MTN News
