Judges pitch plans to finance a $211M county courthouse

A plan to build a new Shasta County courthouse is starting to come together.

Superior Court Judge James Ruggiero, who chairs a court facilities committee, said Friday that the state Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) is trying to secure about 7 acres for the site of the new courthouse.

The AOC is also seeking proposals for architectural, engineering and other related services. The deadline for those proposals is March 27.

"This is a critically important time for us," Ruggiero said Friday during a briefing on the status of the long-awaited project that was attended by court officials, community leaders and the media.

With the region, state and nation's economy struggling, Ruggiero noted that the courthouse project would provide badly needed jobs for the area and generate many benefits in terms of goods and services during construction.

"It's a significant investment," he said.

Superior Court Presiding Judge Stephen Baker agreed.

"It's a real shot in the arm to our community," he said of the economic effect.

Officials with the AOC will be meeting within the next two weeks with Superior Court officials in Shasta County to address various aspects of the project, including timelines and site selection criteria.

A local project advisory committee also is being formed and will play an important role in the development of the courthouse, which Ruggiero stressed is "the community's courthouse."

"This courthouse is your courthouse," he said.

The existing 79,973-square-foot courthouse, which was built in 1956 and saw an annex added in 1965, is one of the busiest in the state and has not kept up with the increase in Shasta County's population, Ruggiero said.

In 1960, he noted, the county had fewer than 60,000 residents, but its population now stands at approximately 190,000.

"The courtrooms are incredibly crowded," he said, adding that the overcrowding also causes security risks.

The new 173,351-square-foot courthouse would feature 14 courtrooms with space for expansion.

The estimated total cost of the entire project is $211 million, and the new courthouse may be ready for business in 2013 or 2014.

Legislation signed last year by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger authorizes $5 billion in lease-revenue bonds to support the construction or renovation of 41 courthouses statewide, including the courthouses in Shasta and Tehama counties.

The lease-revenue bonds are to be repaid through increased fines, penalties and court fees, which took effect Jan. 1.

Last year, the construction of the new courthouse in Shasta County, as well as a proposed 60,000-square-foot Tehama County courthouse, won the approval of the Judicial Council of California, the policy-making arm of California's courts. The council said there was an "immediate need" in both counties.