A petition has been launched seeking to keep the Platte County Courthouse in Platte City, based on comments made earlier this year by Platte County Circuit Court judges.
The Change.org petition, started by Sarah Rudis, has garnered 286 signatures as of Monday, Oct. 9. Started in late September, the petition is critical of recent discussions involving the renovation of the courthouse building and comments made by presiding judge Thomas Fincham at a May meeting of the Platte County Commission. At that meeting, Fincham and other Circuit Court judges voiced support for a new jail and justice center. Commissioners were lukewarm in response and have already launched their own plan to update and renovate county facilities, largely funded through federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
Commissioners are moving forward with plans to relocate the Platte County Sheriff’s Office to the Platte County Resource Center, located in Kansas City near KCI Airport. Tenants at the resource center were evicted earlier this year to make room for the sheriff’s office. The commission is also looking at plans to relocate the prosecutor’s office and reconfigure courtroom space, in part to make room for the newest division of the court, which was announced early this summer. A judge has yet to be appointed for this new court.
According to Rudis, the petition was launched because she feels the courthouse is an integral part of the community. She points at the historical significance of the Civil War era building, the economic impact of the courthouse on Main Street, the architectural beauty and landmark status of the courthouse building, which features prominently in local events, and environmental considerations as she says keeping the courthouse on Main Street promotes walkability and reduces the need for additional transportation infrastructure.