The Arcade building in downtown Pekin will be fully demolished by the end of the year, making way for a new county justice center annex.
Tazewell County Administrator Mike Deluhery said River City Demolition started work on the building on Nov. 9. Crews have had to work carefully because the structure sits near an electric line.
“So it’s a little bit of chipping away at a time and moving away into pieces,” Deluhery said. “The plan is to completely take down the Arcade building, including the basement, and backfill it and then move on to the Tobin building next year.”
The county has a contract of about $730,000 with River City Demolition for the entire project that includes asbestos abatement for the buildings.
Once the Tobin building is down early next year, Deluhery said the county will move quickly to construct a new justice center annex on the property. The county board set aside $34.4 million for that project in the annual capital improvement plan.
“That would include courtrooms, probation, State’s Attorney’s office, Circuit Clerk’s office,” Deluhery said. “So the next step in that process is bidding out the architect and construction manager services. Once we have those contracts in place, we’ll then be doing the final designs for the project.”
Deluhery expects bids to go out within the next two weeks. Then county staff will bring more information to the board at its regular January meeting.
The justice annex is expected to provide up-to-date facilities with modern standards.
“With the current courthouse being over 100 years old, it doesn't meet those standards,” Deluhery said. “That includes items such as having secured hallways for both the judges and for the detainees to walk where they aren't visible by the jury. “
Plans also include a walkway from the existing justice center and jail connecting directly to the new annex. It will include a piece of the building that preceded it.
“We are saving the Arcade facade,” Deluhery said. “And so when we are looking into the design of the new building, we are looking at the archway that originated from the building and how to include that in some way into the design.”
In the meantime, Deluhery said the county plans to store the removed facade at its Tremont campus.
