With the word "courthouse" etched into the building above him, Court Executive Shawn Landry toured his future office, pointing out numerous improvements from the old design.

"It was a long process," Landry said. "That is why it has been so rewarding. The building is finally taking shape."

The five-story, 163,000-square-foot building on the 1000 block of Main Street broke ground in April 2013 and completed the steel setting phase of construction at the beginning of January.

Reaching another milestone in July, all of the pre-cast concrete walls and columns have been put in place, giving the $161.4 million structure its shape.

Walking onto the construction site earlier this month, Landry said the new courthouse is a "good thing for judges, staff and all visitors."

The Yolo County Courthouse receives about 400,000 visitors a year at its seven scattered locations. The new courthouse will consolidate all court services, placing them under one roof for the first time since 1993.

One of the main issues with the current courthouse is safety. In-custody defendants are handcuffed together and brought across Third Street into the courthouse, using the same hallways as court staff, witnesses, jurors and judges.

"Gone are the days that we escort inmates down the hallway," Landry said.

With the new courthouse, inmates are driven from the jail to the basement and placed directly into holding cells. When they need to appear in court, inmates are brought to other holding cells, which are located in the center of the courtrooms.

The courtrooms themselves, 14 in all, are much bigger.

See the rest here:
Window installation next step for Yolo County Courthouse construction

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July 24, 2014 at 1:01 am by Mr HomeBuilder
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