HARTINGTON — The last steps of the Courthouse renovation and addition are moving ahead as scheduled.
The Courthouse building, which was constructed in 1897, has been emptied of desks, files and equipment and work has begun on up-dating the building.
The Courthouse, which is close to 115 years old, will be ready for offices to move back in before the end of the year.
“The work should be done by the end of November,” said Cedar County Clerk Dave Dowling.

The Courthouse will now have space for two courtrooms, along with additional space for the court system.
The main floor will have offices for the County Judge, County Court Clerk, County Attorney and probation officer, plus a county courtroom.
The top floor of the Courthouse will house the District Judge, Clerk of District Court, a jury room and conference room, along with the district courtroom.
The stained glass window, which was located above the judge’s bench, has been removed and is being restored — the window will be returned to the district courtroom.
“We assume the window was part of the original courthouse when it was built, although we do not know that for sure,” said Dowling.
Several security issues were considered when the plans for the renovation and construction were put in place.
“Prisoners can be transported from the jail to the courtrooms without coming in contact with the general public,” said Dowling.
An officer can leave the Sheriff’s Department with a prisoner and walk down a long hallway that is equipped with doors that close with magnetic locks. The hallway turns into a passageway that leads to the courtroom on the first floor or to the second floor courtroom.
A room, which is located in the west entryway of the new addition, can be used for additional security.
“It is set up for future use, if needed, as a security room for those who are going into the court system,” said Dowling.
The red brick and stone archway over what used to be the north entrance to the original Courthouse was kept intact and now enhances the beauty inside the west entryway.
This entryway connects the new addition to the original Courthouse and also gives you access to the elevator, which runs from the basement to the top floor of the Courthouse.
Once visitors are in the west entryway they can turn left, walk north a short distance, and find an open area which gives them access to the offices of the County Assessor, Clerk, and Treasurer and the doors that go into the Commission Room, which can be partitioned off and will be used for driver’s license exams.
A hallway to the east will take visitors to the annex where visitors will find the Veteran Service Officer and a room where visitors can have access to the Sheriff’s Department and jail.
The Commission Room is temporarily being used as the courtroom until the Courthouse renovation is complete.
The offices of District Court and County Court are now residing in the space that had been occupied by the Cedar County Extension Department in the annex.
When the two court offices move to their permanent locations in the Courthouse the two rooms will be used by the Veteran Service Officer and the Sheriff’s Department.
As the remodeling work originally got underway in 2008, several of the county offices in the annex moved to new locations.
As one office moved out — remodeling work started, which then enabled another office to move into the newly renovated spot.
In January the County Extension Office moved to the basement of the annex that was remodeled after the Road Department and Weed and Zoning Superintendent had moved out.
The two offices along with the Emergency Management Director now occupy the section of the annex which had been used for the sheriff’s living quarters at one time.
The kitchen and the laundry room are still part of the jail facility for the Sheriff’s Department.
The County Sheriff’s Department is the only county office that did not have to make a move but did gain some additional space.
The office for the County Attorney is presently located in the former State Farm Insurance Office across the street to the west from the Courthouse.
“The building was purchased to temporarily house the county attorney and for storage use,” said Dowling. “The intention was to sell the building when the work is done.”
As the county attorney moved out in February of this year it allowed for construction to begin on the elevator, which goes right through the office formerly occupied by the county attorney.
Toward the end of July the Courthouse complex was closed for four days when the offices of the Assessor, Clerk, Treasurer and the Commission on the first floor, along with the court systems on the top floor, moved out of the Courthouse and into the new addition and a small portion of the annex.
“We were closed for four days,” said Dowling. “Everything is on computers. We have two systems — a state and a county computer system — we had two sets of technicians here to make the move
Even though the thought of moving the offices along with all of the records and files was a huge undertaking the move went better than expected.
“It went smooth — everyone was surprised,” said Dowling. “It went smoother than I thought.”
New furniture and equipment came along with the renovation of each office.
“Some of the old desks were traded in when the new furniture was purchased, a few pieces are being used, and the commission will have an auction for the rest,” Dowling said.
A new heating and cooling system was also installed in the new addition and the annex and will also be added to the first floor of the Courthouse.
A new GEO thermal heating and cooling system that circulates water through the system was chosen for its efficiency, Dowling said.
The heating and cooling system on the top floor will be retained as it is fairly new.
The multi-million dollar addition and renovation project for the Cedar County Courthouse Complex should be completed before January.
A dedication ceremony is in the works, but we don’t know when Dowling said.