Cole County's presiding commissioner has an aptitude for understatement.
"At least the historic people will be happy for now," Marc Ellinger said with reference to the county governing body's decision to suspend plans to demolish the vacant county jail and sheriff's house facing Monroe Street adjacent to the Cole County Courthouse.
Although we don't specifically categorize ourselves as "historic people," we aligned ourselves with preservationists who opposed plans to raze the structures.
And, although we are "happy" the county has suspended any immediate demolition plans, we are mindful the proposal simply is on hold, not abandoned or rescinded.
The former jail and sheriff's house were vacated after construction of a new law enforcement center and jail at the corner of East High and Adams streets.
The county commission explored converting the vacant structures to accommodate a large courtroom requested by the circuit court system, but learned reusing and repurposing the structure wasn't feasible.
An alternative was advanced to demolish the existing buildings and replace them with an addition that would house not only the large courtroom, but permit relocation of two county offices - the assessor and public defender - now in the Carnegie Building on Adams Street.
The desired replacement structure, however, came with an estimated cost beyond what commissioners had indicated they were willing to pay.
On Friday, the commission announced it would not move forward on demolition or new construction plans at this time.
We believe this suspension is wise.
First, we consider the old jail and sheriff's house to be historic, both as structures and with regard to their roles in the story of Cole County.
Second, we believe any new construction must conform to a comprehensive, long-range plan regarding the relocation and placement of all county offices.
During this suspension, we encourage county officials to explore a plan that addresses these concerns.