6/29/18 – 5:10 A.M.

The Hancock County Commissioners took a step toward building a new probate and juvenile court building Thursday. They approved a resolution that asks interested architectural firms to submit their qualifications for designing a new building.

So far there is no construction timetable or even a proposed location for the new building. The commissioners agree that building new makes more sense than renovating the current court at this point. The latest reports show renovating the more than 150-year-old building would only cost $500,000 less than building new.

Commissioner Mark Gazarek believes the county can pay for construction with capital improvement fund money. He added that they’ll pay off several other county projects over the next two years. That should free up around $400,000 to pay for the new court.

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