photo by: Shawn Valverde

The addition on the south side of Douglas County's Judicial and Law Enforcement Center is pictured Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025.

Douglas County’s addition to the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center and construction of a new Public Safety Building are moving forward on schedule, and the parking headache near the JLEC is expected to improve in mid-2026.

The JLEC’s 158,075-square-foot addition, which has eaten up parking spaces, will feature six new courtrooms with judges’ chambers, expanded office space for District Court staff, updated holding areas and rooftop solar panels. After the addition is finished, renovations to the existing facility will begin; those will include updating three courtrooms, reconfiguring office spaces, modernizing public areas and relocating public services such as the Clerk of the District Court and the Douglas County Law Library closer to the main entrance for better accessibility.

The new Public Safety Building is being built next to the Douglas County Jail, 3601 E. 25th St. The project includes an 11,500-square-foot basement level for Emergency Communications and Emergency Management, plus a 25,565-square-foot main level for evidence storage, vehicle and equipment housing and future Sheriff’s Office operations.

Douglas County Administrator Sarah Plinsky said in an email to the Journal-World that both construction projects are on schedule and within their budgets. Together, both projects cost about $89 million. The JLEC portion of the project costs $59,590,629, and the first phase of the Public Safety Building, which includes the shell of the building and the interior finishings for the lower floor, costs $22,391,444. The second phase of the Public Safety Building, which includes the interior finishings for the main floor, costs $6,643,382 million.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The new Public Safety Building is being built next to the Douglas County Jail, 3601 E. 25th St. , on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025.

The parking lot south of the JLEC has been significantly impacted by the ongoing construction. Plinsky expects that to improve in the new year.

The parking lot will be expanded in mid-2026. The expansion will not use the green space between the historic courthouse and the JLEC; instead, new parking will be added along North Park Street between the historic courthouse and South Park. After the Public Safety Building opens, parking in the JLEC lot will improve as staff moves to the new building and additional spaces become available, Plinksy said.

Earlier this year, county commissioners approved an amendment to the agreement with Treanor Architects to accelerate the timeline of the Public Safety Building by adding design work for the interior of the building’s main floor, which would be occupied and used by the Sheriff’s Office. This means the Sheriff’s Office will move in sooner than originally anticipated.

Construction on both the JLEC addition and the Public Safety Building are well underway, Plinsky said. For both projects, the roofs are installed and exterior walls are nearly complete, with interior work continuing through the winter months.

The work on the JLEC addition will continue into mid-2026. The Public Safety Building’s lower level is expected to be finished by summer 2026, with the upper level completed by the third quarter of 2026.

Once the JLEC addition is complete, remodeling work in the existing structure will follow. It will start with the top floor and work its way down with a lower-level elevator installation and main level renovations, targeted for completion in the late first quarter of 2027. The final phase, the lower level, is scheduled for completion by summer 2027.

“These dates are still fluid and contingent with the Public Safety Building project,” Plinsky said.

Public restrooms will remain accessible throughout, and staff are coordinating with the District Court on signage and way-finding during construction.

Individuals looking for parking to access the JLEC and the historic courthouse can visit the county’s website at dgcoks.gov/jlec-project-and-public-safety-building.