The City of Ridgeland hosted a ribbon cutting last week for its newly renovated municipal courtroom that will now serve the city in a great function.
Ridgeland’s Police Chief Brian Myers said it was time for the renovations with the Court Complex showing wear and tear after it was first done in 2000 and 2001.
The building served as the Ridgeland Police Department for many years and, when Chief Myers was hired, it was this building that he first worked out of in 1998.
“Chief Charles Newell built the new police department and when we vacated the old side of the building in 1999, it was gutted and renovated so that we could move the courtroom from city hall to be physically connected to the police department,” Myers said. “There are a lot of memories and history in that old building; many officers have come and gone under that roof, and their time here will never be forgotten.”
Myers said Former Chief John Neal, who retired in 2022, wanted to make improvements to the courtroom as he was ending his career. The renovation in total took about five months to complete and $425,000 was budgeted for the renovations.
“Having to carry out our hearings and trials in a much smaller venue during the renovation was quite inconvenient,” Myers said. “We used our roll call room in the police department for court during the renovation.”
However, the renovations were needed with a leaking roof, an antiquated HVAC system, worn out carpet and ceiling in bad shape.
“We tore most everything out, refinished the judge’s bench, the bar and the columns, added big screen televisions for assistance in trials and for training when court isn’t in session,” Myers said. “We also added new carpet, new seating that can be moved, new audiovisual equipment, new lighting and suspended ceiling and a fresh coat of paint. Additionally, we redesigned the pay window area and the lobby and added new furniture.”
Myers said the biggest difference in the courtroom now after the renovation is the room will double as a training room, which will seat many more people than they’ve ever been able to offer training in before.
“We will be bringing more training opportunities to our area for local law enforcement, court personnel, dispatch and booking officers,” Myers said.
The police department is now set to serve the public in the new facility.
“We can operate more efficiently in the updated building,” Myers said. “I feel that our employees will take more pride in what they do in this improved environment.”
