The new home for the Grantsville City police department and justice court received a grand welcome from the community last Thursday, with dozens in attendance for the dedication ceremony.
The unveiling of the $3.6 million Grantsville City Justice Center began with a flag ceremony in front of the facility, organized by the Grantsville City Police Department officers and members of veteran groups American Warriors in Action and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
At the end of the ceremony, the Grantsville High School Advanced Choir sang the national anthem.
Once the ceremony retreated into the new building, the crowd spilled out of the multipurpose room and into the hallway. Grantsville City Mayor Brent Marshall gave opening remarks, describing the improved safety, security and working conditions offered by the new facility.
“This new center will enable law enforcement to take its services to a higher level,” Marshall said.
Among those in attendance was Kevin Turner, the former Grantsville City police chief, who oversaw the planning and early stages of construction on the justice center before his retirement last February. Turner is now the police chief in Ferndale City, Washington.
In his remarks, Turner said he promised to be at the justice center dedication and wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
“This beautiful building was a great team effort by many people over the span of 22 years,” Turner said.
Remarks were also given by Jim Peters, State of Utah Justice Court Administrator, who mentioned a long-ago Deseret News article, which described the city as having public buildings that were a credit to their people.
“As we gather tonight to celebrate the completion of this new justice center, how true it is,” Peters said.
The crowd that arrived for the dedication, next stepped inside the new justice court, which previously shared space with the Grantsville City Council. Grantsville Justice Court Judge Ronald Elton described the new courtroom as a significant upgrade.
“We didn’t have the best of facilities in the old City Hall,” Elton said. “We had to make some great allowances and it was not really conducive to the effective promotion of justice and we’ll do that here.”
Following the ceremonies and remarks, Grantsville City police officers gave guided tours of the building to those in attendance. The Grantsville City Justice Center was completed in December and the police department and court moved into the facility shortly thereafter.