AOC: Chief Justice Minton Postpones Proposed Franklin County Judicial Center with estimated price tag of $30 million

From Paul Glaser with the State Journal:

Judicial center action postponed

The proposed Franklin County Judicial Center, with an estimated price tag of $30 million, has been put on hold, according to court officials.

Jason Nemes, director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, told The State Journal today there will be no action on contracts for the judicial center until after February.

Nemes said Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice John Minton Jr. made the decision after being contacted by state and local officials.

"We think this is in the best interests of the citizens of Franklin County," Nemes said.

 

Judge-Executive Ted Collins is chairman of the Franklin County Project Development Board and said putting the project on hold is the right decision, considering the circumstances.

 

The development board will not meet until February, Collins said, but the executive committee will continue to discuss possible sites, such as the John C. Watts federal building.

 

The board voted unanimously last year to build a new facility at the old Model Laundry property behind the Frankfort Convention Center. The board had entered into discussions with eight property owners and had appropriated $1.6 million for property acquisition.

 

Collins said that's also on hold, even though county attorney Rick Sparks was preparing to send letters to the property owners as part of the negotiation.

 

The development board considered other options, such as renovating the current courthouse or relocating to the John C. Watts federal building on Broadway.

 

However, Sen. Julian Carroll, D-Frankfort, and Rep. Derrick Graham, D-Frankfort, wrote a letter to Minton three weeks ago asking that the project be put on hold.

 

Carroll and Graham expressed concerns about financing the project from a state budget that is already austere " it includes only a 1 percent raise for state employees. Although bonds finance the $30 million project, they said the state is too indebted.

 

Instead, the legislators suggested that other options should be re-evaluated, including the Watts federal building. Although the building is largely vacant, federal officials said earlier this year it was not available.

 

"We believe a greater effort should be made to determine when and if this location might become available," according to the letter by Carroll and Graham.

 

They also suggested that officials consider expanding the courts by annexing property adjacent to the current facility.

 

"All these efforts would be consistent with our concern of maintaining the integrity of the business district of the City of Frankfort," according to the letter.

 

The legislators also suggested that funds could also be used to renovate the existing Franklin County courthouse instead of building a new judicial center.

 

Graham and Carroll said they will propose legislation in the 2009 session to allow for annexation and renovation of the courthouse, an option already rejected by the project development board.

 

Carroll and Graham also asked that Franklin County Fiscal Court be reimbursed for almost $50,000 that has already been spent for planning and design work related to the proposed judicial center.

 

The three-story building would include 102,000 square feet and house jury trial courtrooms, non-jury trial courtrooms, hearing rooms, grand jury areas, judge chambers, a law library, circuit court clerk areas, prisoner-handling facilities, court security, court-affiliated and support offices and facility-support areas.