LAGRANGE – LaGrange County officials cut the ribbon on the new $3.8 million dollar Justice Building Friday afternoon.

The building will house the probation departments on the first floor and the prosecutor’s offices on the second floor.

County Commissioners President Larry Miller says it’s a day that was long awaited and the building turned out just the way they imagined.

Prosecutor Greg Kenner – who has spent more than a dozen years working in the windowless downstairs of the county office building says the new building is great.

"It's a beautiful building. It's better than I expected it would be. We've had fifteen people crammed in a very small space. That can get on your nerves. You always hope it can help people's attitudes to be in a good work environment and I think that does impact your work."

The probation departments will also see the daylight...moving from the basement of the courthouse.

One area of the building that will have a huge impact is a new training area.

"We have room for fifty police officers. We like to train the officers. And then of course we can do training of our own staff. Other county departments who want to use it to train can use it," said Kenner.

The northeast corner of the first floor is unfinished, leaving the county with room to grow according to Miller. The building was also designed so it can be expanded to the south some day.

The county’s Information Technology Department, which had planned to occupy part of the new building, is now moving to the basement of the county office building.

Workers hope to begin moving into their new homes next week.