Public meeting on East County Courts in Rockwood: March 30, 2010 6:30PM

Start: 03/30/2010 - 6:30pm

Timezone: Etc/GMT-8

Public meeting on East County Courts

Project team to offer updates and information on proposed Courthouse in Gresham’s Rockwood neighborhood

When: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 6:30 – 8:30PM
Where: Parklane Christian Reformed Church
16001 SE Main
Portland, OR
Get Map!

On Tuesday, March 30, 2010 Multnomah County will hold an informational public meeting on the status of the proposed East County Courts project. This will be held from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Parklane Christian Reformed Church, 16001 Southeast Main Street, in East Portland. (Meeting details below)

(Everyone in the greater East County (especially Gresham & West Gresham) area is urge to attend this important meeting! Ed.)

Click here for the current East County Courts Project report (Oct 2009).

Click here for a 21-page report with complete project time-line and financial information.

Purpose

The meeting will feature updates on the pre-design and design process, which has been underway since last October, when the Board of County Commissioners approved initial planning steps in building design and configuration for a facility that includes courtrooms and office space for District Attorney and support staff.

This meeting will address design parameters and goals and will include discussion of preliminary schematic drawings, site plans and sustainability elements. The meeting will also present an opportunity for input on how the building can help create the neighborhood residents desire.

A number of speakers will give remarks, including Multnomah County Commissioners Diane McKeel and Judy Shiprack and other prominent East County figures, and provide an interactive format for neighbors and interested parties to discuss and ask questions about different aspects of the project

The East County Courts proposal is the result of decades of study on how to rectify longstanding deficiencies with the current Courthouse in Gresham, which is leaky, cramped and inadequate. If approved, the new courthouse would be built on county-owned land at 185th and Stark in the Rockwood neighborhood of Gresham. Get Map! Multnomah County is required by state statute to provide court facilities in the city of Gresham for violations that occur east of 122nd Avenue. In 2008 alone, an estimated 27,000 defendants went through the courthouse in Gresham, mostly for traffic and other misdemeanor offenses.

Next Meeting Date

The Board of County Commissioners will consider next steps for the project on Thursday April 22, 2010. In that meeting the Board will provide staff guidance on whether and how to proceed with carrying the project to completion.