A dedication ceremony was held last week in Council Bluffs to commemorate the opening of a new federal courthouse.

The courthouse for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa is a much needed upgrade from the previous building, Chief Judge John A. Jarvey said

“To call the old courthouse tired is an understatement,” Jarvey said last Friday. “In the summer we had to let our people go home early because the air conditioning didn’t work and the windows didn’t open. In the winter, we had to let them go home because the heating didn’t work and the water wouldn’t flow. Our jury deliberation room there was destroyed by a water leak, and so we don’t have a jury deliberation room.”

In addition to functional heating and air conditioning, the new federal courthouse will house the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as well as offices for Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, and the federal public defender.

Grassley did not attend the dedication in person, but he recorded a short video message for the occasion.

“If you were ever spending much time in the old courthouse, you’ll know why we’re celebrating this very new one,” Grassley joked. “We had our fair share of ceiling leaks in the Grassley office in that very same courthouse.”

More seriously, the senior senator from Iowa stressed how important it is that everyone has access to justice.

“While we often discuss access to courts in the abstract sense, physical accessibility is just as important,” Grassley said. “Every Iowan, and every American, shouldn’t be inhibited from entry just because of the way some old structure is built or shaped.”

The new $7 million courthouse at 2146 27th Ave. covers 29,000 square feet and was designed for accessibility, Jarvey said.

“This home is accessible,” Jarvey said. “It’s geographically accessible. It’s accessible to the local community. It’s accessible to those who come from other parts of the country. It’s accessible to those who suffer from disabilities.”

Ernst, who was in attendance, also emphasized the importance of accessibility.

“We want to make sure that the workplace is not only a great place for our staff to work, but also for those constituents that we serve, making sure it’s accessible, that it is a safe and a welcoming space,” Ernst said.

In addition to her remarks, Ernst presented Jarvey with a U.S. flag that had flown over the Capitol in Washington D.C., which Jarvey said will hang in a place of honor in the building.

Rep. Cindy Axne, in whose district the new courthouse was built, was also unable to attend the dedication. She wrote a letter which was read by one of her Council Bluffs staffers, Jacob Appel.

“The new building promises to provide constituents in Iowa’s third congressional district effective administration of justice with the physical conditions necessary for modern courthouse needs,” Axne wrote. “Our judicial system is critical in upholding fairness and civility in our country. The new courthouse in Council Bluffs is an important physical investment in the southwest Iowa community.”

Despite holding the dedication ceremony, the new courthouse is not completely operational yet, Jarvey said. Supply chain issues contributed to this delay.

“For those of you who think they’re going to come here tomorrow, no,” Jarvey said. “We still got a few more days left. There’s a few things that need to be tweaked. You can see it, there’s a few wires hanging out from the wall. It was more important to open it today than it was to make it fully functionable, but within 45 days we will be fully open and available for business.”

The U.S. General Services Administration was awarded a 20-year-lease in December 2019, and it was able to complete the project under the original $7.3 million budget.

Also in attendance last Friday were judges from various courts in the Council Bluffs area, including District of Nebraska Chief Judge Robert Rossiter and magistrates from across Iowa as well as Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh.