Seal of Dane County County of Dane
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County Executive's Office

Remarks from Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk for the Opening of the New Dane County Courthouse

January 06, 2006
Lesley Sillaman, Office of the County Executive (608) 267-8823 or cell (608) 669-5606
County Executive

“Good Afternoon! Thank you all for coming. I am delighted to welcome you all to share this day and to see all of the hard work and dedication of so many people come to fruition. “Buildings are important landmarks in any community. In themselves, they are often a key part of the landscape and this building is no exception. But buildings are most important because of what goes on inside them. Some of the activity in a courthouse is fairly routine, such as changing information on records; sometimes the work here is incredibly happy, for example, adoption hearings or citizens obtaining a marriage license; and sometimes the work done in this building is very, very difficult and sad. “Whatever brings you here, it is of utmost importance that justice is served and it is our job as a government to do our best to make a citizen’s visit as efficient and as convenient as possible. We have worked very hard to do that in this building. From the welcoming central lobby area and clearly marked signs and directions, to the small spaces tucked away where families can have private conversations such as on the roof garden off the second floor. “This building is also part of a broader county government. We made sure, every step of the way, to set a good example. This building is both cost-efficient and on budget. And this is the county’s very first “green building,” including many environmentally important features and we are very proud of this. “All of these goals and tasks would not have been possible without the extremely hard work of so many people. Thanks to the workers who built it, the County Board, Judges, District Attorney, Clerk of Courts, Court Commissioners, Family Court Counselors, the design advisory committee, and the neighborhood residents. There are too many of you to give you each the credit you deserve, but I would like to thank, in particular, Rob Nebel, the county’s manager for this project and Bonnie Hammersley, our Department of Administration Director. Thank you.” # # #
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