Courthouse open house to ring in improvements
BROWN COUNTY (BROWN COUNTY DEMOCRAT) — The Brown County Courthouse will be ringing in some upgrades in a special event open to the public on Sunday, Dec. 8.
The day will include dedication of a new home for the courthouse bell on the courthouse grounds at 1 p.m., followed by an open house to show off the new addition to the Brown County Courthouse that was completed last year.
Brown Circuit Judge Mary Wertz said the dedication of the new structure displaying the 150-year-old bell was an opportune time to also welcome visitors to view courthouse additions.
She noted that not a lot of people knew there was a bell in the courthouse steeple until it was discovered during a renovation project a few years back. Because the 300-pound bell was in danger of falling, it was removed and stored.
Wertz credits Duane Parsons’ efforts for cementing a place of honor for the old bell on the courthouse grounds. Work crews in the past month have built a small structure overlooking Van Buren Street where the bell is being installed.
She said the courthouse plans to be open after the bell dedication ceremony until about 4 p.m. that Sunday to show off the new addition.
“The goal was to come up with a design that fit with the structure of the courthouse,” Wertz said, “and I think we achieved that.”
She noted the addition followed the same roofline and design of the 1870s courthouse. The addition was needed to address security and space issues, building on other improvements in 2020 that reconfigured space for the jury room and improved courtroom accessibility.
The courthouse expansion project completed about a year ago added a sally port and a holding cell for inmates being brought to court from the jail. The improvements separate inmates from members of the the public visiting the courthouse.
Wertz said the addition also accomplished something that could have been lost. She noted that she talks to a lot of judges who say they no longer are able to have court in their county courthouses for security, accessibility or other reasons.
“It means a lot to have court in the courthouse, and I’m glad we were able to achieve that goal,” she said.
Meantime, there is still time for members of the community to support the bell project by purchasing a commemorative brick paver that will be installed around the project.
Personalized brick pavers are $100 each and may be inscribed with up to three lines of 18 characters each.
Donna Lutes, assistant with the Brown County Commissioners office, which is handling the sale of commemorative bricks, said there are still pavers available, and that the sale of them would remain open-ended. All proceeds from the sale of the bricks will fund the courthouse bell display project. Organizers stressed a goal to complete the project without using tax dollars.
Wertz said the Brown County History Center and Pioneer Village also plans to be open to the public for visits on the afternoon of the courthouse bell dedication and open house.
An addition to the Brown County Courthouse enhancing security and providing other needed upgrades will be open to the public during an open house Sunday, Dec. 8.
This story was originally published by the Brown County Democrat on Nov. 12, 2024.