JACKSON, Wyo. — On Monday, July 21, Town Council voted to continue its discussion to consider the sketch plan for a new Justice Center at 180 S. King St. The item will continue at a special meeting on Monday, July 28, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
In 2024, Teton County residents voted in favor of building a new Teton County Justice Center using the Specific Purpose Excise Tax (SPET) funds, totaling $88 million. The proposed three-story, approximately 80,000-square-foot Justice Center would house the District and Circuit Courts, Sheriff’s Office, County Attorney’s Office, Clerk of Court, 911 Dispatch Center, County Jail and associated office and storage areas.
The new facility would replace the existing Teton County Courthouse, which has been deemed a “failing building.” According to Teton County, six years of research and studies show that the Courthouse, which was built in the 1960s, has severe deficiencies in energy efficiency, security, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility and structural integrity.
During the meeting, Town of Jackson Senior Planner Tyler Valentine told the Council that the facility, located on the corner of E. Simpson Ave. and S. King St., would be constructed around Town Hall.
“It’s a bigger building than what surrounds it,” Valentine said. “That’s when you look at the design to see if the scale is appropriate. The main concern is whether the building’s scale overwhelms the pedestrian scale. Should it be a statement piece or is the size too big in relation to the neighborhood?”
Valentine added that new Justice Center would be constructed with the potential to expand in the future, with a lot of large galleries and areas for court rooms. According to Anderson Mason Dale Architects, the project’s architecture firm, the building’s corners were cut back in response to public comments concerned with the large mass and scale.
“This design represents five years working with the police department, judges and other agencies to come up with the most effective building,” a representative from Anderson Mason Dale said. “The goal is to submit a building permit by the end of the year, and to begin construction by next spring.”
With many Teton County staff members in attendance during the meeting, Board of County Commissioners Chairman Mark Newcomb expressed his support for the project.
“A lot has been going into this since 2019,” Newcomb said. “We have to look down the road … in 36 years our population will double, and we need a big Justice Center to undergo all of our needs. We are looking to collaborate with the Town. Let’s work to ensure a great, final product.”
