November 16, 2024
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Kendall County breaks ground for downtown Yorkville campus expansion

By Mark Foster
Kendall County Board Finance Committee Chairman Scott Gengler speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the downtown Yorkville campus expansion on July 18, 2023, as County Board Facilities Management Committee Chairman, Brian DeBolt, center, and County Board Chairman Matt Kellogg listen.

Kendall County Board Finance Committee Chairman Scott Gengler speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the downtown Yorkville campus expansion on July 18, 2023, as County Board Facilities Management Committee Chairman, Brian DeBolt, center, and County Board Chairman Matt Kellogg listen. (Mark Foster)

YORKVILLE – Kendall County officials broke ground July 18 for construction of a new building to house the Kendall County Clerk, Recorder and Elections offices.

The new structure will be the centerpiece of the county’s downtown Yorkville campus expansion project.

Members of the Kendall County Board donned hard hats and picked up shovels for the obligatory groundbreaking ceremony.

Excavation and grading of the grassy site will start soon, Kendall County Facilities Management Director Dan Polvere said.

The new building is expected to be ready for occupancy in the summer of 2024.

Budgeted at $10 million, the project also will reconfigure the driveways, walkways and parking areas at the downtown campus.

The Kendall County Office building at 111 W. Fox St. is home to the county’s administration as well as the clerk, recorder and elections offices.

To the north, the Historic Kendall County Courthouse provides office space for the Kendall County Forest Preserve District.

Illustration of the Kendall County government office building to be constructed between the existing county office building and the Historic Courthouse just west of Bridge Street (Route 47) in downtown Yorkville. This view is looking north, towards the Historic Courthouse. (Illustration provided by Cordogan Clark & Associates)

Illustration of the Kendall County government office building to be constructed between the existing county office building and the Historic Courthouse just west of Bridge Street (Route 47) in downtown Yorkville. This view is looking north, towards the Historic Courthouse. (Illustration provided by Cordogan Clark & Associates)

Between the two, overlooking South Bridge Street (Route 47) will be the new building, designed by architectural firm Cordogan Clark and Associates of Aurora.

The color scheme and design for the new building pays homage to the old courthouse building.

Much of the main floor, which covers about 14,000 square feet, will provide space for the county clerk’s elections office, along with the clerk and recorder functions.

The 4,500-square-foot lower level with outdoor access to the east on the sloping property will be used for storage, particularly election equipment.

With demolition of the annex building at 105 W. Fox St. now complete, space has been created for a new parking area between the county office building and the former Bristol-Kendall fire station building at 101 W. Fox St.

The County Board approved slightly more than $9.4 million in construction bids, about $645,000 below the $10 million budget and engineers’ estimates, at its June 27 meeting.

The project is being paid for from federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Kendall County officials break ground for the downtown Yorkville campus expansion project on July 18, 2023. They are, from left, County Clerk and Recorder Debbie Gillette and County Board members Zach Bachmann, Ruben Rodriguez, Seth Wormley, Jason Peterson, Matt Kellogg, Brian DeBolt, Scott Gengler, Dan Koukol and Brooke Shanley.

Kendall County officials break ground for the downtown Yorkville campus expansion project on July 18, 2023. They are, from left, County Clerk and Recorder Debbie Gillette and County Board members Zach Bachmann, Ruben Rodriguez, Seth Wormley, Jason Peterson, Matt Kellogg, Brian DeBolt, Scott Gengler, Dan Koukol and Brooke Shanley. (Mark Foster)