OLIVE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — After years of being in different courthouses, Ottawa County’s Family Division will finally be under one roof inside the 56,000-square-foot facility.
The first thing you see when entering is a 36-foot-tall mural with scenes from around Ottawa County.
Ottawa County 20th Circuit Court Chief Judge Jon Van Allsburg said, “This is a place that it's intended to be light and an airy and with the art and the interactive art that's on the walls so we can accommodate the needs of families.”
Local art is everywhere, including animal pictures made out of Lego.
“Staff participated by taking pictures and sending them in, then when we got the Lego, the staff assembled them,“ said Susan Franklin, court administrator.
The courtrooms have the latest technology, including touchscreen monitors.
“The technology is fully up-to-date and capable of expansion. And so, we can meet the needs of the families that come into the court,” said Judge Van Allsburg. He says the center was long needed for the families of Ottawa County, saying, “Now with all the family division judges and all the family division cases being in one courthouse, we can assign them all to one judge, one family.”
The new Family Justice Center will also include the legal self-help center and the Ottawa County Circuit Court Records. Judge Van Allsburg said, “The project has been long in the making and we're glad to see it come into fruition.”
Court services and hearings will begin at the family justice center on July 23.
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