Ribbon Cutting for New Will County Coroner?s Morgue

JOLIET, IL ? Will County government officials attended a ribbon cutting Tuesday morning to dedicate the new Will County Coroner?s Facility in Joliet. The 11,460-square-foot facility consolidates the operations of the Will County Coroner?s Office into one location.

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.

The total project cost is about $10.3 million, according to Mike Theodore, director of communications for the Will County Executive Office.

?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,? Will County Coroner Laurie Summers declared. ?This is a transformational space for our operations, and I?m thankful that county leadership recognized the need for it.?

According to Will County, the new facility replaces an aging and undersized morgue, and it consolidates administrative offices and morgue operations, which were previously located in separate facilities. Construction began in September and the work was completed in July.

?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," noted Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.

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.

?This facility is a space for collaboration for all of our staff,? Coroner Summers pointed out. ?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.?