July 19, 2023 5:37AM CDT
Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Will County Coroner Laurie Summers, and Will County Board Members cut the ribbon on the new Coroner’s Facility located at the Will County Public Safety Complex in Joliet.
Will County officials attended a ribbon cutting Tuesday to dedicate the new Will County Coroner’s Facility in Joliet. The state-of-the-art, 11,460-square-foot facility consolidates the operations of the Will County Coroner’s Office into one location, providing modern, efficient, and expanded operations.
“This day has been a long time coming and I’m thankful that our office has a modern facility to serve the residents of Will County,“ said Will County Coroner Laurie Summers. “This is a transformational space for our operations and I’m thankful that county leadership recognized the need for it.”
The new facility replaces an aging and undersized morgue with a purpose-built facility that provides a safe and healthy workplace for the Coroner’s Office staff. The facility also consolidates administrative offices and morgue operations, which were previously located in separate facilities. Construction on the facility began in September of 2022 and was completed in July 2023.
“I appreciate the collaboration that occurred to make this project happen and I thank Coroner Summers for her consistent advocacy over the years,” said County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant. “I’m proud that this project is on-time, on-budget and still meets the professional needs of the staff. This new facility will improve our county’s public safety capabilities for decades to come.”
The facility was designed in close collaboration with the leadership and staff of the Coroner’s Office to ensure that it aligned with current and future operational needs. The design utilized a variety of industry best practices for morgue design and has already been ranked in the top five designs nationally by architecture firm McClaren, Wilson & Lawrie, based on comparative community populations size.
“This facility is a space for collaboration for all of our staff,” added Coroner Summers. “Having all of our operations under one roof will be a massive improvement for our operations. We worked closely with the design team to ensure that the building aligned with our needs and ensured the safety of staff at all levels.”
The new facility joins existing public safety facilities at the Will County Public Safety Complex at West Laraway Road, including the Sheriff’s Department, Animal Control Department, Laraway Communications Center, Division of Transportation, and the Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Response Facility.
“I’m proud that the County Board, County Executive, and Coroner came together to complete this important project,” said Meta Mueller, Chair of the Will County Capital Improvements. “This project was designed with the interests of staff in mind and will serve our communities for decades to come.”
The Coroner’s Office has transitioned office operations into the space and is preparing for full functionality in the coming weeks.
The Will County Coroner’s Facility was designed by architect Wight & Company. Leopardo Companies served as the Construction Manager and HR Green was the Civil Engineer.
