Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Marks Completion of Lake County Court Tower

Waukegan, IL – On July 17, Clark’s Lake County Courts Expansion project team, along with hundreds of community members including county judges and elected officials gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new Lake County Court Tower in downtown Waukegan. The new facility, which will officially open to the public on July 30, will help improve the efficiency of the County’s justice system. 

The new Lake County Court Tower, an eight-story, 200,000 square-foot structure, features 12 new courtrooms, jury assembly space, administrative offices, and space to accommodate future growth.  

During the ribbon cutting ceremony, Lake County Circuit Court Chief Judge Jay Ukenasaid touted the significance of the project, “it is extremely important that we have enough courtrooms to serve the people.”

Clark Construction, who is serving as the construction manager at-risk for the three-phase project, performed ten months of preconstruction work before breaking ground on construction in 2015. The Court Tower construction is part of the second phase of the $110 million project. 

The first phase included construction of an underground tunnel connecting the existing Court Tower and new Court Tower to the Babcox Justice Center for secure and efficient in-custody transfers. The final phase includes the remodeling of the Babcox Justice Center, which is expected to be complete next summer.

AECOM is the architect and Robison Guarnery is the owner's representative. 

“Having a strong, honest, and open relationship with Lake County has allowed us to deliver the first two phases of the project on schedule,” said Clark Construction Project Manager Joe Boisvert.