Will County, located in the northern part of the State of Illinois and part of the Chicago metropolitan area, is studying the option of building a new courthouse.Chief Judge Richard Schoenstedt said he's interested in exploring the possibility of a private-public partnership to fund the new building, estimated to cost about $200 million.The 45-year-old Will County Courthouse at 14 W. Jefferson St. in downtown Joliet is overcrowded and is teeming with security risks, Chief Judge Richard Schoenstedt and other chief judges before him have said.The local press reports that the chief judge has been meeting with a developer about plans for a new courthouse, which he will present to the county board when a cost estimate is available.