Commissioner McKeel
Board of Commissioners Approves East County Courts Plan
October 02, 2009
On Thursday, Oct. 1, thanks to the testimony of over 20 elected officials and community members, the Multnomah County Board voted to build a new courthouse in Rockwood. By a vote of 3-0 (two of the commissioners were unable to stay through the testimony), the commission approved the plan to draw up schematic plans and begin a process for the erection of a new courthouse facility. For more information, see the Outlook article on the subject.
Read Diane's speech before the Board below:
October 1, 2009 R-12, East County Courts Resolution and FAC-1
Cmmr. McKeel Speech
Thank you, chair Wheeler.
I want to begin by thanking Commissioner Lonnie Roberts and previous Multnomah County Boards for their foresight in establishing a capital fund for constructing a courts facility with the liquidation of surplus properties. Without your forward thinking, we would not be where we are today.
I also want to commend Sheils, Obletz, and Johnsen for their collaboration in this project. Even when it appeared that this project was dead, you helped us to resurrect it. Your patience and understanding as this project has proceeded in its various forms has not gone unnoticed. Thank you.
As you all know, this is a day that myself and many of the other people in the room today have been looking forward to for a long time. The history of the East County Courts is a long one, in 1967, when Representative Vern Cook helped pass legislation that required a new court be built. Since then, many things have changed.
Gresham is now the fourth largest city in Oregon, and East Multnomah County continues to grow at a rapid rate. This is an area that is underserved, and until a new facility is built, the court facility there will continue to be under served. As is, the current system is woefully inadequate. The windows and ceilings are leaky, the basement floods, animals too frequently get inside, and the entire building is in disrepair. As East County grows, it is imperative that we continue to adapt to its increased need for services. A new East County Courts project will be a very small measure in addressing that need.
Not only will this benefit East County, but it will benefit downtown Portland as well. Also in dire need of repair, the downtown courthouse will see some relief in the amount of people from East County that are required to commute there. This will reduce wear and tear on that similarly inadequate building. Furthermore, when that building must be replaced, we will have the experience to effectively and efficiently get it done.
The decision between leasing and building this new facility is a tough one, but the long term and most forward thinking option is clear. Under a lease, Multnomah County would be in the same situation we are now when the lease expires, minus the 4.8 million dollars in the reserve fund and without a building. If we invest in a new building, twenty years from now we will still have a courthouse and will also have the building and structure that we have invested in. Given Multnomah County's tendency to use its buildings for many years past their prime – our last courthouse was built in 1914 – this is an advantage that cannot be understated.
We also face great advantages right now in our ability to build. Given the state of the construction business, there will never be a time when this project can be done more cost-effectively. As Multnomah County construction projects continue to come in at significantly lower costs than initially anticipated, from sidewalks in Wood Village to the Kenton Library, we are continuing to realize that there will be no better time to build than now.
But perhaps most importantly, this project has the potential to make a real difference in Rockwood. At a time of little investment anywhere, making a significant contribution to Rockwood could make a real difference. Aside from the 150 jobs that would be created and the immediate impact of hiring local firms to take this project on, the long range implications in this neighborhood of such a project could be great. By putting the courthouse in this area, Multnomah County will encourage entrepreneurship, foster growth, and do a small part in an effort to re-build this community that so desperately needs it.
I'm sure that Representative Cook, when he championed this legislation in 1967, could never have imagined the challenges that we face now. From the fast growing and ever changing populations and demographics of East Multnomah County, the inadequacy of the current courthouse and the challenges that face us in replacing the downtown courthouse, to the negative economic growth, things have surely changed. Because of the leadership of Commissioner Roberts and SOJ, the clear advantage of building rather than leasing, and the favorable conditions for construction in this tough economic climate, there has never been a better time to build the East County Courthouse. For these reasons, I encourage my colleagues to join me in voting yes. It has been a long time coming.