Chelan County Making Security Upgrades at Courthouse, Justice Building

A project to tighten security and streamline foot traffic at the Chelan County Courthouse and the adjacent Law & Justice Building will soon get underway.

The main piece of the project is the construction of a glass-walled vestibule between the two structures which will serve as a single-entry point for both buildings and consolidate security screening for them into one location.

Chelan County Commissioner, Kevin Overbay, says the project has been in the works for about five years and the enhancements being made are of critical importance.

“We’re basically looking at what’s going to be the best way to not only protect folks that visit the campus, but also folks that work on the campus. With the way things are going in the world today, we want to make sure that we take every precaution we can."

Overbay says in addition to centralizing campus security checks into a single location, the project will also improve safety at the courthouse and justice center in a number of other ways.

“We’ll be adding a station for our armed campus security, as well as some surveillance camera upgrades, and some door alarms in portions of the courthouse.”

The first phase of the project also includes the construction of an ADA-approved wheelchair ramp.

The $1.5 million build is scheduled to begin on September 9.

Overbay says he’s hopeful construction will be complete by the end of the year.