Start 19: Winnebago County Criminal Justice Center
Cost: $126 million

Ground was broken in January for the 600,000-sq.-ft. Winnebago County Criminal Justice Center in Rockford.

The four-level, 1,224-bed facility is scheduled to open in Spring 2007.

The project's construction team is made up of a joint venture of Bovis Lend Lease Inc. in Chicago with Ringland-Johnson Construction Co. of Cherry Valley and Scandroli Construction of Rockford.

Coordinating the Work

Steve Ramsey, mechanical, electrical and plumbing project manager of Ringland-Johnson, said trade flow coordination as the biggest concern because the intricate security and communications systems are put in place along with the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems.

"It's going to be pretty tight in some areas, so all of that work has to be carefully coordinated so that we are stepping on each other's toes," he said.

A downtown location was selected that eased fears about the status of the city's second-oldest Roman Catholic Church, St. Mary Oratory. But 52 parcels of land were purchased to create the 12-acre site and without threatening the future of the church.

The facility was designed by the Des Moines, Iowa-based Durrant Group Inc., along with the local firms of PG Architecture, Larson & Darby, Stewart design Associates, Inc., Mark Goldman & Associates and Thomason Clark Group.

The center will house a new county jail and support and administrative services, including food service and laundry. It will also house the offices of the County Sheriff, State's Attorney, Public Defender and Court Service departments as well as four courtrooms.

The facility, which will contains f general population, high security, segregation, medical and mental health areas, is part of Winnebago County's ongoing effort to breaking the cycle of recidivism. The facility was funded through a voter-approved, 1 percent sales tax increase.

The project also includes an underground tunnel, which will connect the facility with the nearby Public Safety Building, and underground, secure parking.

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