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Clark County Dedicates Courthouse

History was made in Clark County this afternoon.

About 500 people turned out for the dedication of the new courthouse in Kahoka.  The audience included more than 100 students.

The event, which lasted an hour, included a masonic ceremony and a number of dignitaries, including Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster and Missouri Supreme Court Justice Mary Rhodes Russell.

Presiding Commissioner Ron Brewer says the new courthouse is a long time coming.

He says the 26,000 square foot building will make it much easier for the county to serve its residents.

“When you come in with a problem, no matter what office you need,” says Brewer, “we can send you to the right one and if it is not the right one, you don’t have to go across the street or across town.  We can send you down the hall and get your problem solved.”

Government-related offices are on the first floor and in the basement with the second floor housing two courtrooms.

The previous Clark County Courthouse stood for nearly 140 years.

Brewer says it appears the new $4-million courthouse will come in under budget.  Voters agreed to a sales tax in 2010 to pay for the facility.

Jason Parrott is a former reporter at Tri States Public Radio.