PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) -- Five years after Petersburg's judges sued to get it, the city has broke ground on its new courthouse. On Tuesday, Dec. 16, Petersburg officials held a groundbreaking for the $80.2 million complex at 30 East Tabb Street they say will handle more than 30,000 cases every year . They also promised it would fix the problems with the current facilities that judges say have delayed trials and put residents' safety in jeopardy. In 2020, city judges sued Petersburg's administration and issued a court order that required them to start construction on new facilities by October 2026. "We were going through periods where we were literally having to cancel trials and close the courthouse because there simply wasn't air conditioning in the summer months," said the Honorable Judge Joseph M. Teefey, Jr., Petersburg's Chief Judge. In addition to those maintenance issues, Judge Teefey said the current courtrooms of the General District, Juvenile and Domestic and Circuit courts cannot accommodate modern evidence, like Ring camera and policy-worn bodycam footage. And, he said, a lack of security posed a safety issue, with courtroom disputes spilling out onto the downtown streets. The new facility promises to resolve those issues. "Not only that, it will exceed what we had asked for," Judge Teefey said. "The city of Petersburg, on it's own initiative, decided to bring the sheriff's office [into the complex], which brings an added layer of security." Also in the complex will be the Commonwealth's Attorney's office and court services unit. "It feels like a lot of promise," Teefey said. "A promise that we're going to have a beautiful courthouse that will function properly. The jurors who come in will feel comfortable in their environment. Where the litigants will have a place that they can have their hearings and feel lke they're heard." Five years since the court order and with an entirely different city administration, Petersburg Mayor Sam Parham said he's proud of what council has been able to accomplish. "This is an 80 million dollar project," Parham said. "I'm just happy to be able to say that the city council, we got it done. When very few people thought that we were moving the city in the right direction, this is yet another example of city council's investment in the city of Petersburg." The historic Husting courthouse will still stand after the new court facility is built. Officials say court will be held there at least once a year. Construction on the new complex will officially begin January 2026, with completion planned for the end of 2027. ...read more read less