Groundbreaking ceremony for courthouse Friday – Midland Daily News

John Kennett, jkennett@mdn.net

Proposed renovation to Midland County Courthouse

Proposed renovation to Midland County Courthouse

Midland County Courthouse proposed rear entrance

Midland County Courthouse proposed rear entrance

Groundbreaking ceremony for courthouse Friday

Midland County residents will see a new entryway to their historic downtown courthouse when a construction project is completed.

Local officials will join together with representatives from local foundations and members of the public for a ceremonial groundbreaking for the official start of the $7.8 million Midland County Courthouse renovation and addition project. The ceremony will take place on the front steps of the courthouse, 301 W. Main St., beginning at 12:30 p.m. on Friday. All members of the public are welcome to attend.

Ninety years after Dr. Herbert Henry Dow laid the original cornerstone for the building, The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, The Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation, The Charles J. Strosacker Foundation and The Dow Chemical Company Foundation have partnered with Midland County to fund the construction and renovations.

When completed, visitors to the courthouse will see a new entryway on the H Hotel side of the courthouse. The new entrance will allow visitors to enter from Main Street or the rear courthouse parking lot through one secure entryway.

We needed to address some serious safety and traffic flow issues, Midland County Circuit Court Judge Stephen P. Carras said at an earlier Midland County board meeting. Fortunately, the foundations were willing to help us and once again make the county courthouse truly a part of downtown Midland.

Visitors entering from Main Street will be directed to the new entrance through a plaza area, where the existing three flagpoles will stand.

From the rear, visitors will be greeted to a new entryway, to the right of the present one. The new entrance, will include a two-story atrium and has been angled to aid visitors in locating the new access. The actual entrance will be elevated, with a ramp and steps, to remove it from the floodplain.

Interior work will improve safety for employees and the public, and provide enlarged working room for some departments. Safety will be improved for employees by separating from the public along with having multiple exits in case of emergencies. There also will be a designated hallway built for transportation of inmates from the sally port to the courtrooms, again increasing public safety.

In conjunction with the renovation, Midland County commissioners have approved the advancement of several deferred (courthouse) maintenance projects that were originally scheduled to be implemented over the next five years. If completed now, the advancement would result in a projected savings of approximately $750,000 as they could be completed in a more efficient and cost effective manner.

The projects would be completed in two phases: first, those projects that enhance energy efficiency and improved air exchange; and, second, projects that deal with internal appearance, security and access controls.

The Midland County Courthouse, which officially opened in 1926, is a registered historic landmark and believed to be the first in the nation to be built entirely out of materials found within the county in which it was built. Herbert H. Dow was the driving force and visionary for the design, working in concert with nationally renowned architect Bloodgood Tuttle to create a unique, but timeless design.

Over the years, the courthouse has undergone two major additions, in 1958 and 1979.

The 1958 addition, designed by Alden B. Dow, added a jail, sheriffs living quarters and offices. The 1979 expansion created new quarters for judges, accessibility for people with disabilities and a barrier free design.

The new construction interfaces with the existing courthouse. One of the genius of this design is that it doesnt touch the existing murals or obstruct the windows that we restored, Carras said earlier. The architects have designed this so that the addition will join the courthouse at the 1979 addition.

The opening of a new jail on Fast Ice Drive in 2009 launched the present renovation. April of 2013 saw three county departments prosecuting attorney, friend of the court and 42nd Circuit Court Probation office move from the courthouse to the fourth floor of the Midland County Services Building, opening up space in the courthouse. The demolition of the 1958 addition, just over a year ago, allowed for construction of a new entrance.

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Groundbreaking ceremony for courthouse Friday - Midland Daily News