The Honorable Mary Jacobson, Mercer County Assignment Judge, and County Executive Brian M. Hughes stand in a courtroom in the new Mercer County Criminal Courthouse on Monday, Jan. 14, 2013.
The new Mercer County Criminal Court building opened Jan. 14.
The new facility was built behind the original criminal courthouse on South Broad Street in Trenton.
County Executive Brian Hughes said the run-down condition of the original courthouse was one of his top priorities when elected in 2003. After a few years of debate, Hughes along with the Mercer County Improvement Authority and The Honorable Linda Feinberg decide a new building was necessary.
The new four-story courthouse is set to hold 300 county and state employees. The building houses a sheriff’s office at the basement level, nine courtrooms with jury boxes, detainee holding areas and the associated judges’ chambers and administrative offices on its ground and upper levels.
Hughes said the courthouse features new security measures. There are three separate pathways through the building; one for the public, one for judges and staff, and a third for prisoners and law enforcement.
Hughes said the 142,000-square-foot building meets United States Green Building Council’s LEED silver level standards.
LEED standard features include reliance on large windows and skylights to maximize use of natural light, solar reflectance materials on the roof to lessen air conditioning use, rainwater collection for use in flushing toilets and construction materials from local sources.
Hughes said from demolition to completion the building cost $80 million.
Hughes said building the new structure created 750 trade and construction jobs.
Hughes said Joseph Jingoli & Son, Inc. of Lawrenceville served as the construction manager.
More information is online at nj.gov/counties/mercer/.
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