Kentwood Justice Center

By WKTV Staff

The 62-B District Court is inviting community members to celebrate Law Day 2023 with a free community event May 1.

The Law Day event will take place 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the Kentwood Justice Center, 4740 Walma Ave. SE. It will kick off with a meet and greet, followed by a panel discussion, Q&A session and closing remarks. Refreshments will be provided.

Panelists will include:

62-B District Court Judge Amanda Sterkenburg
City of Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley
City of Kentwood City Commissioner Ron Draayer
Kent County Assistant Prosecutor Kourtney Stone
Kent County Office of the Defender Defense Attorney Justin McCarthy

The panel will be moderated by 62-B District Court Administrator/Magistrate Michele White. Panelists will take questions from event attendees and discuss rebuilding trust in legal institutions and how the public, their elected officials and the branches of government can collaborate to address various challenges faced by the nation, such as a lack of affordable housing, the recent increase in assaultive offenses and racial disparities in the justice system.

This year’s Law Day event theme is Cornerstones of Democracy: Civics, Civility and Collaboration. Students wishing to participate are encouraged to create a short video, poem, art piece or written question relating to the event theme that may be selected for panel discussion.

Student entries are due by April 17 and will be displayed in the courthouse during the Law Day celebration. Submissions can be attached to the registration form or dropped off in person at the Kentwood Justice Center, 4740 Walma Ave. SE, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Pre-registration is required for the event. A registration form and additional event details can be found at kentwood.us/LawDay.

Law Day, established in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, is a national observance celebrated each year on May 1. The holiday celebrates the role of the law in our society and cultivates a deeper understanding of the legal profession.

By: Mike DeWitt

The cake was cut and commemorative bottles were opened as the City of Kentwood celebrated paying off a 15-year, $10 million bond on the City’s Justice Center this past Friday. The celebration was led by Mayor Stephen Kepley and quickly handed off to the two men who put the plans together 15 years ago, Judge William Kelly and former Chief of Police Richard Mattice.

Before the Justice Center was built, the Police Department and the District Court were housed in the Kentwood City Center. It was a cramped working environment that limited the productivity of both staffs.

“We were really cramped,” said Judge William Kelly. “One of our clerks in the court had to be put in the back of the courtroom, and that was also our city commission chambers.”

“Before [the Justice Center] was built, the police department used the City Center but also had two trailers that housed our detective bureau and our community services bureau,” said former Police Chief Richard Mattice. “Our locker rooms were across the street in the fire station.”

It was apparent that the court and the police department needed a new home, but how? Kentwood had never taken out a bond for a building before. For a city as fiscally conservative as Kentwood, it was a big step to take.

“The mayor promised the voters that if they approved the millage to hire more police officers, then the city would build a new facility without going to the public for another millage,” said Kelly.

So, with that on the table, the millage was passed to hire more police officers and the city got to work on building a new facility. Planning started in August of 2000 with a groundbreaking ceremony quickly to follow on March 22, 2001.

Coming in at 60,000 square-feet, approximately 20,000 on the court side and 40,000 on the police side, the Justice Center added much-needed room for city employees to do their jobs.

“When we moved in here, we came from 5,200 square-feet to 41,000 square-feet,” said Mattice. “We had facilities to adequately meet the public which we didn’t have before.”

In the end, the Kentwood Justice Center was completed on time and on budget. 15 years later the building was paid off on time and is one of the reasons for the city’s AA+ bond rating – a rating very unusual for a city the size of Kentwood.