TR courts building held ribbon-cutting

Nearly a year after construction began, St. Joseph County’s Three Rivers courts building hosted its ceremonial ribbon-cutting Tuesday.

The site houses the county’s Family Court, which is comprised of Friend of the Court, and juvenile and probate court. Their relocation frees up much-needed space at the Centreville courts building.

County commission chairman Ken Malone welcomed a crowd of more than 50 people to the event, staged in the courtroom of probate judge David Tomlinson.

Three Rivers Public Library moved to a downtown location in August 2020 and the county purchased the abandoned West Michigan Avenue building for $175,000 in 2022.

The new courts building has been in operation for about a month. Tomlinson said all Family Court cases and related business were put on hold for two weeks starting in mid-April as employees made the transition from their Centreville offices to Three Rivers.