Vestibule will connect the two buildings with a single public access point

information and artist rendering released

Beginning Sept. 12, a contractor for Chelan County will start work on renovating the open breezeway between the County Courthouse and its adjacent Regional Law and Justice Center into one enclosed and secure entryway.

Chelan County commissioners last month approved the spending of $1.5 million on the new vestibule that will connect the two buildings and provide one public access point into either building. The project is expected to be completed in May 2023.

“One entry point into the courthouse and the Law and Justice Center will better enable us to keep employees and visitors safe from unknown threats,” said Deputy Elgin Shaw of the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office. “We ask that the public be patient with us because we will have active construction going on for the next several months.”

The construction will impact anyone visiting the following offices and departments: Treasurer, Assessor, Auditor, Elections, District and Superior Courts, the Sheriff’s Office, and the jail.

If you are visiting the Chelan County campus, please follow these guidelines:

  • Public access into the courthouse and Law and Justice Center will be limited to two entryways.
    • To access the buildings from the east parking lot (near the Wenatchee Public Library), use the marked public entrance near the Sheriff’s Office.
    • To access the buildings from Washington Street, use the marked public entrance near the Law and Justice Center.
  • As of Sept. 12, there will be no public entrances that lead directly to the courthouse. Visitors will have to use one of the two established entrances mentioned above.
  • Security measures (metal detectors and security officers) will be set up at both marked entrances.
  • For the first three weeks of the project, the contractor also will be building a ramp at the Sheriff’s Office entrance off of the east parking lot to provide ADA access there.
  • Until the new ramp is complete, visitors who need assistance should use the ADA access entrance at the Law and Justice Center that is off of Washington Street. An elevator is available there to access Superior Court or the Sheriff’s Office.
  • If you have business in the courthouse and need assistance, also use the ADA access entrance to the Law and Justice Center off of Washington Street. A security officer will then escort you to the elevator in the courthouse, or the third-floor walkway. Please make sure to ask for assistance from a security officer.

When completed, the new vestibule will be 492 square feet and mostly made of glass. It will include updated security features, including a station for campus security, automated access controls for the two buildings, updated metal detectors and lockers for visitors who need to store valuables or firearms.

The contractor on the project is Halme Builders of Davenport. The project was designed by DOH Associates of Wenatchee.

The offices across the street from courthouse and Law and Justice Center are not impacted by the construction. They include the Commissioners Office, Community Development, Public Works and the Juvenile Justice Center and Juvenile Probation.

For a view of what the project will look like when completed, as well as a map of the two public entrances, visit our website: https://www.co.chelan.wa.us/news/article/construction-to-begin-on-new-entryway-into-the-county-courthouse-law-and-justice-center