Some have suggested that rather than build a new Annex/Criminal Justice building, we should just wait till the old Courthouse is rebuilt and move back in there. That's certainly an option, but not a good one. The operations at the old Courthouse outgrew that building many, many years ago. So, we're left with a few other options. 

Shortly after the fire, I had suggested we build the new Annex/Criminal Justice building on the south west corner of the Courthouse lawn beside the current Annex. That idea was opposed by many because it would destroy the courthouse lawn, we'd have to cut down several of the trees and it would take away from the grandeur of the historic old Courthouse. There were also some real issues with that location. The sheriff's department would still have to transport prisoners to and from the jail to the Courthouse for all the court cases. This requires a lot of security man hours and creates a lot of officer safety issues. There is also the problem of parking.

Another option being discussed is to do an addition to the old Courthouse. This option has the same drawbacks as a separate building. It's also hard to imagine that any addition to the old courthouse would certainly be an awkward looking facility when completed and seriously take away from the old Courthouse's historical look.

Another option is to locate the new new Annex/Criminal Justice building at the Justice Center. This location has the most benefits for everyone. This location would eliminate having to transport prisoners to court, greatly improving officer safety and saving a lot of money in transporting costs. This location would have all the courts in one location. The new Annex/Criminal Justice building being located at the Justice Center would also eliminate the need for a high security sally port needed for prisoner transportation. This location would also allow for much better security for the facility than a location in downtown Loudon.

It would be real hard to argue that the Justice Center location isn't by far the best location. In fact, the only argument against this location is that moving the new Annex/Criminal Justice building out of the city might hurt the downtown economy. A few Loudon officials have now suggested the Courthouse lawn location just for the benefit of the downtown businesses. Problem is, the folks who use the Circuit Court, Criminal Court or Chancery Court aren't generally the ones shopping downtown. In fact, the majority of the people using the court are inmates in shackles and aren't likely to be allowed to go shopping anyway. 

Recently, Loudon City government moved their entire operation out of the downtown area as did the Loudon Utilities Board. The few employees and users of the court system could never make up the foot traffic lost when all the city operations moved out. In reality, the city offices on Hwy. 72 and the Justice Center on Hwy. 11, are only about two and a half miles from downtown Loudon. Patrons from either location can easily make downtown Loudon their destination for food or shopping if they want to. 

There has been some discussion that the new Annex/Criminal Justice building has to be located within the city limits of the county seat, Loudon, but this is not correct. But even if that argument is made, hopefully Loudon City officials would be willing to annex the Justice Center property. The current city limits are just a few hundred feet from the Justice Center now. 

Hopefully, the commission can reach a decision in the next thirty days as to where to locate the new Annex/Criminal Justice building and get construction started.

Below are a few renderings of the possibilities. These are just pictures of possibilities and geographical issues will have to be taken into consideration but any of these are possible.

New Annex/Criminal Justice Building On Courthouse Lawn

New Annex/Criminal Justice Building Addition To The Courthouse

New Annex/Criminal Justice Building Addition To The Justice Center

New Annex/Criminal Justice Building Addition Behind The Justice Center

New Annex/Criminal Justice Building Addition Farther Behind The Justice Center