…a new state-of-the-art home for Johnson County criminal justice

Johnson County kicked off 2021 with a virtual celebration for the new Johnson County Courthouse. Construction on the new courthouse began on July 12, 2018, to replace the nearby aging, smaller and outdated facility that operated from 1952 until closing at the end of December. The new facility, with 28 courtrooms and designed to add future courtrooms as needed, is expected to serve the county's justice system for 75 years.

…collaborating on a new space for county residents to gather

When the county brought down the former Johnson County Courthouse, crews spent the next several months taking down the old courthouse piece by piece. This left a green space dedicated as the Johnson County Square on Dec. 9, 2021. An 11-person steering committee made up of community members helped shape the use of the space, using public input that came from pop-up meetings, open houses, a focus group and two online surveys. Today, the space features a curved, lighted walkway, six picnic tables and a 33-tree grove donated by the county's rotaries. The Johnson County Square represents the best-in-class partnerships, community participation, common interests and shared vision by many involved in the project.

…investing in a more efficient way to treat wastewater

By the end of 2021, substantial progress had been made on the Tomahawk Creek Wastewater Treatment facility in Leawood. This is currently the county's largest capital project ever, and all signs point to its completion on time and on budget in 2022. Expansion began in 2018, and the first release of treated water occurred in September of 2021. Benefits of the project include renewed infrastructure investment

for roughly 150,000 residents, enhanced water quality in Indian Creek and reduced long-term costs to rate payers. One evaluation performed prior to construction showed that construction of the full-scale facility will cost $785 million less over the next 35 years when compared to building a smaller facility and diverting a portion of flow for treatment by others.