GRANT WILL AID PULASKI COURT REPAIR

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Court cases could resume at the Pulaski County Courthouse next fall, following renovations to century-old building.

An elevator leading to the second-floor courtroom should be finished soon, and a renovation of the courtroom could be completed by September.

"The elevator has been a two-year project," said Lisa Thurston, executive director of Southern Five, a regional planning organization headquartered at Shawnee Community College near Ullin, Ill. "The shaft has been completed, the elevator is in place, and everything is ready except the motor."

The motor should be in place by the end of February to give the historic old structure its first elevator.

Illinois Gov. George H. Ryan has announced a grant to assist in the renovation as part of his Illinois FIRST funding for projects.

The $150,000 courthouse grant was initiated by State Rep. Jim Fowler, D-Harrisburg.

It's been a while since a trial has been conducted at the Mound City courthouse.

The Pulaski County trials are being held at the Tri-County Detention Center, near Ullin. The private prison houses prisoners from Alexander, Pulaski and Union counties.

The prison also includes a courtroom where Pulaski County cases are being held.

Extra expense

This adds an extra expense to the Pulaski County budget. A circuit clerk's office has to be maintained at the detention center as well as the courthouse at Mound City. The state's attorney maintains an office at the detention center but has no office at the courthouse. The detention center is at Mile 18 of Interstate 57, in Pulaski County, 17 miles northwest of the courthouse.

At one time, before the construction of the new private prison, trials were held in the Mound City firehouse and in some offices on the first floor of the courthouse.

The courthouse, without the elevator, was inaccessible to disabled people.

Two years ago, Pulaski County received a $147,000 grant to install an elevator, putting the building in compliance with the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The grant, the Community Development Assistance Program, which is administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, was initiated by the Southern Five.

Earlier grants were used for wheelchair ramps to enter the main floor of the courthouse.

At one time a grant was requested to place chairlifts in the courthouse, but the lifts didn't fit into the historical theme of the building, and the funds were denied.

"We're pleased to see the elevator in place," said Thurston. "All citizens should be able to have access to public facilities or services. Once they are installed, all five counties in the Southern Five area, will have courthouse access in accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act."

That includes Alexander, Johnson, Union, Massac and Pulaski counties.

With the courthouse renovations on schedule, cases could return here sometimes in the fall.

"The courtroom will undergo a complete renovation," said a courthouse representative. "The second floor is empty now, and bids are expected to be let soon."