A group advocating downtown redevelopment and the preservation of historic buildings has launched a campaign to ask the county to amend a new judicial center plan.

Destination: Albert Lea (DAL) started collecting signatures for the petition to the county board, which requests that:

– The facade of new judicial center be designed to duplicate the design of the old courthouse.

– The 1954 &uot;yellow&uot; administrative building be removed.

– A bell tower on the old courthouse be restored.

“Do it now, do it right. That is our message,” said DAL member Mary Ellen Johnson. “The ’54 building will need to be replaced anyway in the near future. There is no point to wait for that. Why don’t we address the issue at this opportunity?”

The concept plan of the new facility shows that the facade facing South Broadway consists of simple linear designs, while the 1888 old courthouse uses a lot of curves and some decorative sculptures.

The architect explained that the simple outfit composed of pre-case panels was designed not to compete with the old courthouse. But County Administrator Ron Gabrielsen said there would be no problem making some adjustments from the preliminary concept design.

The vacation of the ’54 building was a major focus of a previous new courthouse discussion. A Courthouse Committee appointed by the county board had recommended demolishing it and adding a new office building behind the old courthouse.

Johnson thinks the new judicial center plan ignores the problem of the poor office environment for county employees. She proposed adding another floor to the new judicial center and accommodating the county departments now in the ’54 building.

“It is true that the building is not the best,” Gabrielsen admitted. But he is concerned about the cost: A floor addition may cost over $2 million.

Johnson also emphasized that creating an open space around the old courthouse would greatly contribute to the downtown scenery and development.

Gabrielsen understands the bell tower would recover the pride of the community. However, the cost is also an issue there, he said.

“It all comes to how the commissioners make their final decision on the design,&uot; he said. &uot;I encourage the public to speak with one of the commissioners about what they feel.”