DESIGNS SHARED FOR PROPOSED WASHINGTON CO. JUDICIAL CENTER, EXPO COVERED RODEO ARENA

  

Washington County Commissioners today (Tuesday) learned more about two large projects included in the Washington County Expo Master Plan.

Members of the court were presented concepts for a judicial center adjacent to the sheriff’s office and jail, along with a covered rodeo arena at the Expo.  Both facilities have long been discussed as items to pursue in the county’s planning for the future, but today’s discussion marked the first time in a commissioners court setting that specific design elements were reviewed, as well as the input from stakeholders that is driving these projects.

PlanNorth Principal Architect Katie Burch said the plans are centered on core guidelines of “making the small things better along the way” by making repairs instead of quick fixes, “improve the whole” by finding ways to ensure versatility and functionality, and “technology-first thinking”.

The judicial center is proposed as a two-story, roughly 70,000-square-foot building that would feature three dedicated courtrooms, a multi-use room that can serve as an extra courtroom or community space, and a detention area for inmates that connects to the jail by way of a secure inmate corridor that passes through a new sally port for the sheriff’s office.  The building would house two district courtrooms, County Court at Law, Adult and Juvenile Probation, and the offices of the County and District Attorney and County and District Clerk, with room to expand.

Burch said the judicial center aims to address long-standing problems that come from court settings taking place at the courthouse, namely the lack of separation between incarcerated individuals and the public, crowded courtrooms that lead to safety concerns, and lack of reasonable public restroom access.

As for the covered rodeo arena, it is planned as an approximately 75,000-square-foot facility with seating for at least 2,300 people and the possibility on the “upper end” of up to 3,000.  The arena would be built with an attached 32,000-square-foot warm-up arena, animal stalls, restrooms and concessions.

Burch said the goal with the new rodeo arena is to accommodate multiple events at one time, reduce disruptions caused by weather, and expand livestock and agricultural opportunities.  The project would also seek to incorporate frequently-requested site improvements for drainage, utilities, and traffic flow and parking.

The discussion was only for informational purposes, so no action was taken.  Commissioners thanked Burch for her work in coordinating with user groups for both facilities to gather feedback on what is needed for them to function at their best.  County Judge John Durrenberger said he is “looking forward to turning some dirt.” 

Washington County Fair Manager Dean Fuchs said Burch has been very respectful of the fair’s history and importance to the community when working on these plans.  He joked that “we have shovels if you want to start tomorrow.”

Commissioner Kirk Hanath said financing for the projects will be covered during tomorrow’s (Wednesday) commissioners court workshop, set for 9 a.m. at the Washington County Courthouse.