TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Tiffin residents got to take part in a hands-on ceremony Tuesday to mark a special occasion for the city and Seneca County.
The new Seneca County Joint Justice Center reached the halfway point as officials and construction crews celebrated the end of vertical construction with a "topping off' ceremony.
As crews continued to work on the construction site, the public was invited to take part in the raising of the final steel girder.
Elected officials, members of the construction crew, and residents took time to sign their name before the beam was hoisted up.
"To construct a Joint Justice Center such as this to save taxpayers money, to do the right thing. It's just an amazing transformation and hopefully begins to heal all of the wounds of this site that have been long incurred over the many years," said Tiffin mayor Aaron Montz.
As the beam was moved into place, the core structure of the four-story courthouse is now done.
Over the next few months the exterior will be finished, then it is onto the interior.
The county wants to make sure that at every step of the way, the people who will see this building every day have a chance to take part in it's progress.
"We're just so excited to have these milestone celebrations so that we can engage in as many people, because they may not be able to attend all of them. But if they get to one of them they will remember they did tat when they drive by this completed justice center," said Seneca County Commissioner Holly Stacy.
Construction is expected to be complete by November with a grand opening set for December.
