Repaired first floor of the Linn County Courthouse to reopen

CEDAR RAPIDS - After four long years, the first floor of the Linn County Courthouse, which was flooded in 2008, will be open for court proceedings Monday.

The eight new courtrooms, conference rooms and judges' chambers were getting their final cleanups Friday before the first phase of the $6.3 million renovation project opens to the public. There will be two courtrooms for associate District Court jury proceedings and six courtrooms for non-jury proceedings.

The flood affected the entire courthouse. It closed and services moved to Kirkwood College's Continuing Education Center for about three months.

At the first-floor entrance, terrazzo tile with pieces of the old flooring pays tribute to the flood. It reads, “dedicated in honor of those Linn County citizens whose lives were changed forever by the flood of 2008.”

The clerk's office and all the court files were previously on the first floor but more than $5 million was spent on restoring flood damaged files, so moving the clerk's office up to the main lobby was a priority, court administrator Carroll Edmondson said earlier this year.

Sixth Judicial District Judge Mitchell Turner said it's great to see the first floor renovation completed.

“The additional courtrooms and staff area, equipped with current technology, are a very welcome and needed addition to the Linn County Courthouse,” Turner said. “The dedication of these new facilities to those citizens whose lives were forever changed by the flood of 2008 is both fitting and appropriate. Hopefully, it will become an example of the old adage that good things come to those who wait. Thank you to everyone who has worked so long and so hard to make this a reality.”

Kellee Cortez, the assistant District Court administrator who schedules trials, said the two larger jury courtrooms also can be used for felony cases if needed, which could help her avoid last-minute changes to the schedule.

The rest of the courthouse renovation will be completed next year. The county attorney's office is relocating to the third floor and the traffic and small claims divisions that moved to Westdale Mall will move back in June. They will temporarily be housed on the first floor but will move to the main lobby when the other renovations are completed.

Pending renovations include a walkway from the jail to the courthouse on the third floor and some additional jury deliberation rooms on the fourth floor.