East County Courts in Rockwood edges toward reality, decision expected April 22, 2010

Judging from Commissioner McKeel’s reaction East County Courts in Gresham’s Rockwood neighborhood edges toward reality. Info here!

Judging from Commissioner McKeel’s reaction the East County courthouse construction could start in December 2010

Source: The Gresham Outlook (Apr 20, 2010)

Judging from Commissioner Diane McKeel’s smile following Tuesday’s briefing on the East County courthouse project, the embattled building is likely to become a reality.

The five-member board of commissioners will decide on Thursday, April 22, whether to build the structure, more than 25 years in the works.

During its Tuesday meeting, county commissioners considered both two-courtroom and three-courtroom configurations for the building, which is proposed for county-owned land on SE 185th Ave and Stark St in Rockwood. Get Map!

Depending on the number of courtrooms, the project could cost between $17.4 million and $20.7 million. A few million dollars from selling surplus county land south of Edgefield in Troutdale is earmarked for the courthouse. The rest of the money most likely will be financed through bonds.

County commissioners seemed to like the idea of moving ahead with the project now to take advantage of the weak construction market and low interest rates.

If approved, construction could start in December, with the building finished in early 2012.

Multnomah County is required by state law to provide court facilities in Gresham for misdemeanors, small claims and traffic cases originating east of 122nd Ave. Gresham’s current one-room courthouse is crammed and dilapidated.

County leaders have wrangled over how to replace it for more than 20 years.

Commissioners appear to be leaning toward a courthouse option that would include three complete courtrooms, as opposed to two with a third shell that could be finished later. The county’s cost analysis showed a difference of about $200,000 to complete the third courthouse now, as opposed to in five years, when it would cost more than twice as much.

“We will fill two courtrooms immediately,” said presiding Circuit Court Judge Jean Kerr Maurer when the board asked for her opinion on the matter. “We will be at three courtrooms so quickly to me it would be provident to provide for that immediately.”

If you go

What: Multnomah County commissioners will vote on whether to build a new Gresham courthouse in Rockwood
When: 10:30AM Thursday, April 22, 2010
Where: County Building, 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Details: Public testimony will be heard at the board of commissioners’ meeting in which they are scheduled to vote on a resolution to approve funding for the courthouse’s final design, as well as whether to build the courthouse.