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December 2025 Logan County
Courthouse restoration update
[December 12, 2025]
As the year ends, modifications
are planned for the first floor courtroom of the Logan County
Courthouse, and more phases of the restoration are nearing
completion
Project manager Bill Walter of Masonry Restoration Technologies &
Services, LLC said the first floor courtroom is being modified so
the county board can conduct meetings there. Walter said they will
lay the room out so everyone can see and hear all the others. He is
currently working conceptual estimates for that and will bring it
forward to the Logan County Board Building and Grounds Committee in
January.
Logan County Board Building and Grounds Chairman Lance Conahan said
one of the big things that will enhance the first floor courtroom is
there will be enough seating behind the bench for thirteen people.
This includes the twelve board members and the county clerk.
In addition, there will be a microphone at each spot, and the board
will be able to live stream the meetings. The county has invested in
computers for board members and a board laptop for live streaming
meetings.
Cameras will be placed in the courtroom that will allow a board
member to see someone sitting a few chairs down without craning
their neck. Television screens at the back of the room and behind
the bench will allow people sitting in the audience to follow along.
People joining in remotely will also be able to see what is
happening.
Conahan said this will allow for greater input from taxpayers, more
transparency from the board and more flexibility from constituents
to attend board meetings. Eventually, the board may be able to live
stream committee meetings to allow for even more transparency and
let constituents know what is going on in each committee.
The first floor courtroom is small, so in the event there is a large
crowd, Conahan said they will still need to utilize the second or
third floor courtroom.
Walter said Judge Jonathan Wright has been instrumental in helping
the county comply with state regulations for courtrooms.
The security area is virtually complete. Walter said it should be
done by middle or end of next week. This area will comply with
current security guidelines as presented by the state of Illinois to
allow the courthouse staff to provide more safety and security to
the public.
As they get ready to put the
restored stained glass panels back in place, Walter said the
scaffolding has been mostly erected. On December 15, a large crew
will be coming to start putting the panels in. This crew is from
Restoric, who took the panels out approximately eight years ago.
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Recently, Walter visited the
workshop in Chicago where each individual panel was restored. He
said every single panel [of the stained glass] was taken apart
and re-caned, and some of the glass was replaced.
By the first of the new year, the stained glass should be
completed and installed.
All the windows have been replaced
at the base of the dome, and so much more light comes in. Walter
said they may be able to incorporate light fixtures in each clock’s
face that will shine down on the stained glass.
The women’s bathroom fixtures and sink counters are in, and they are
putting in things like toilet paper dispensers. Walter said
everything should be done by the middle of next week.
Conahan said they hope to receive the $2 million rebate on the
geothermal system energy efficiency sometime in the next year. It
appears to have been delayed by the recent government shutdown.
Once the rebate has been received, Conahan said they should be able
to complete most of the outstanding items on the checklist for the
restoration. At this point, the restoration is 65 to 70 percent
complete.
Walter said the public safety tax
revenue comes in at “a disciplined pace,” so they can only do so
much at once. If the work is done in phases, the money is there
before they start another work item.
There will be more work done on the outside after the county gets
the rebate. Walter said this work would be done in early spring or
summer when warmer weather arrives.
[Angela Reiners]
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