Bonneville Courthouse expands as the county grows

IDAHO FALLS – A space previously occupied by the Idaho Falls Police Department will be repurposed and used for courthouse operations.

The police department used to be in the Bonneville County Law Enforcement Building at 605 North Capital Avenue, but earlier this year, the department moved.

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Visitors arriving at the Capital Avenue building to access the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office on the first floor or the Bonneville County Courthouse on the second floor will notice, as they pass through the security doors, that is under construction

“We will have a new large courtroom on this level as well as an information desk and space for court clerks to be available to the public on the main floor. Some judge’s chambers and some other county office space . We’ll also have a jury room,” said 7th Judicial District Court Administrator Tammie Whyte.

The new room will be ADA compliant. He said that when the new hall is operational, there will be 11 halls.

It is considered a necessary supplement.

“We continue to see enhanced growth along the I-15 corridor, but especially in Bonneville County. As the population grows, the need for judicial resources inevitably grows,” Whyte said. “The 7th Judicial District has requested to add a magistrate judge and a district judge to be salted in Bonneville County.”

Bonneville County Clerk Penny Manning explained that the police building is attached to the original courthouse and was an addition. The supplement has gone through different cycles in the past, depending on the needs of the region. For example, the prison used to be there.

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“It was a decision of the commissioners to convert that area of ​​the police building for court functions,” Manning said. “With a growing county, we also have growing needs in the courts; we must answer both civilly and criminally”.

Bonneville County Commissioner Roger Christensen said the work is estimated to cost between $2 million and $2.2 million.

“This is money the county has saved in its justice fund, which can only be designated for projects associated with justice, such as law enforcement and judicial functions,” Manning added.

Christensen said the reuse of space in the county building is efficient; otherwise, building a new courthouse would have cost much more.

“If you had to go out and find a site and build a whole new courthouse, you’re probably talking about $2 million to $300 million,” he said.

As for when the renovations are supposed to be completed, January or February of next year is estimated.

“It means a lot to the courts to have sufficient court facilities to handle court hearings in a timely manner and to have access to justice in a timely manner,” Whyte said. “It’s just a great example of the collaboration and our appreciation for our county’s stakeholders in a county where we’re seeing growth.”