Plans moving ahead to temporarily relocate some of Kendall County’s operations

Plans are moving forward to temporarily relocate some of Kendall County’s operations to the Kendall County Courthouse on John Street while work begins on a major renovation of the Kendall County Office Building on the Fox Street campus in downtown Yorkville.

Kendall County Facilities Director Dan Polvere recently updated Kendall County Board members about the plans. The move would take place between Jan. 6 and Jan. 13.

“Our hope is that on Jan. 13 we can get everybody up and running,” he told board members at their Nov. 19 meeting.

In addition, Kendall County Board meetings will be temporarily relocated to the Historic Kendall County Courthouse on the Fox Street campus.

The project, expected to cost $8.75 million, will include full renovations to the entire building, except the board room and the executive board conference room for the most part. The project will be paid from the county’s fiscal 2024 building fund with the remainder budgeted in the fiscal 2025 building fund.

The project is expected to be completed by January 2026. As board member Brian DeBolt, chairman of the board’s facilities and technology committee, told fellow board members earlier this year, the elevator for the Kendall County Office Building is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act compliant and is not safety compliant.

“So that would be replaced,” he said. “The stairways would be replaced, which are now enclosed, with a glass atrium to bring natural light into those spaces. The third floor hallway system would be removed and the other two floors would be expanded by department for future growth of Kendall County. And by doing all this, it should take us maybe three decades down the road. As growth continues to come to Kendall County, we have to prepare in advance so that we have the spaces available as the population grows and the programs grow.”

All bathrooms in the building also will be made ADA accessible. Kendall County Board Chairman Matt Kellogg said the improvements will improve public access.

“The majority of the public access will be on the first floor instead of people having to go up and down stairs,” he said. “The elevator is antiquated to say the least. We’ve put hundreds of thousands into repairs for it since I’ve been on the board.”

Kellogg has served on the county board since 2016. Kendall County Administrator Christina Burns talked more about how the project will improve public access, including having a public service window for the treasurer’s office and a reception area outside the county board room.

“It will just be a more inviting atmosphere,” she said. “There will be a three-story open air reception area. There will be better signage and better directions. People often don’t know where they’re going in this building.”

Also as part of the improvements, the main entrance to the building will be moved. The new entrance will face the new building under construction, Burns said.

Other improvements include replacing a diesel generator with a natural gas generator. The project is phase two of the county’s capital improvement program.

Kendall County recently opened a new office building for the clerk, recorder and election offices.