Milwaukee County Courthouse Fully Reopens

For Immediate Release                                                                                               
DATE: July 24, 2013
Contact: Brendan Conway, Communications Director
414.278.5281 Office
Brendan.Conway@MilwCnty.com
Twitter: @MkeCoExecPress

Milwaukee County Courthouse Fully Reopens

MILWAUKEE – Two-and-a-half weeks after a fire destroyed the main electrical infrastructure of the Milwaukee County Courthouse, the building fully reopened on Wednesday, July 24th.

“In the days after this fire, experts told us it could take months to open the Courthouse, but thanks to a lot of hard work and a bit of ingenuity we are back open today,” County Executive Chris Abele said. “Getting this done so quickly and safely is a testament to hundreds of people who worked so hard. I have never been more proud to lead Milwaukee County.”

News Conference today – 1pm
Abele, Chief Judge Jeff Kremers, DA John Chisholm and Kevin Fletcher from We Energies will brief the media today at 1pm on the southside of the Courthouse.

Timeline of Events
·         July 6^th - Electrical fire breaks out.
·         July 6^th - Massive effort to clean up and reopen the one million square foot Courthouse begins.
·         July 10^th - Safety Building reopens for Criminal Court hearings two business days after the fire.
·         July 15^th - Courthouse opens for most Court activity five business days after the fire.
·         July 17^th - Public services, including Marriage Licenses and Child Support Services reopen in the Courthouse open. Most services were being provided off-site during the closure.
·         July 18^th – Employees in many departments including Corporation Counsel, County Board and Risk Management move back into their offices.
·         July 19 – 23^rd – Courthouse and Safety Building removed from generator power and hooked into WE Energies utility grid. New power source is tested and tweaked.
·         Today Courthouse fully reopens.
·         Coming weeks:
               o   Restoration work continues, mostly after business hours.
               o   Carpet and ceiling tiles in many offices will be replaced.
               o   Main electrical system will be rebuilt and replaced.