Supervisors are set to schedule an April 8 hearing to clarify
whether it’s not too late to reverse the state’s decision to build
the new structure outside of downtown.
HOLLISTER
Citizens likely will get their chance to vent concerns and clarify the facts about the state’s choice of a Flynn Road location for a new courthouse instead of the downtown site preferred by many locals.
At the urging of Supervisor Anthony Botelho, board members are set to place an item on the agenda for the April 8 meeting on the courthouse debate. Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz, the board chairman, said there are two purposes for the agenda item: to make clear to the public that the county board officially endorses the old Fremont School site as the preferred location for the new structure, and to test the level of support for further efforts for an organized protest against the state’s decision – if it’s not too late.
Botelho today said he had recognized “quite a bit of discussion” among such organizations as the Hollister Downtown Association, San Benito County Chamber of Commerce, San Benito County Bar Association and San Benito County Farm Bureau in opposition to the state’s choice. The hearing is intended to better inform citizens and even supervisors why this happened and whether there are realistic options to reverse it.
Botelho said the state and court system hadn’t been “very forthright” to this point about the process and getting information to the public.
“By having this discussion, the county is doing everything it can to inform the public,” said Botelho, who acknowledged he and fellow supervisors weren’t clear on how and whether the county can protest the Flynn Road decision. “We should discuss it. The public needs to understand what’s at stake.”
The main concern expressed by business groups and merchants in or near downtown is a potentially adverse effect on courthouse-generated foot traffic and, thus, revenues. The HDA, chamber, bar association and, most recently, the farm bureau all have officially voiced concern. Botelho confirmed the farm bureau decided to do so in an approved resolution Thursday.
The April 8 board hearing would be the first public discussion on the issue since the California Administrative Office of the Courts in February chose the county-owned parcel on Flynn Road near the airport and county jail. It was a local site selection committee’s alternative choice to the preferred location at the city-owned school.
The administrative office of the courts reasoned in a statement that access to the jail and future access to other government offices contributed to the site’s selection. The Fremont School parcel also would require a seismic review – the Hollister Redevelopment Agency has offered to fund it – which could lead to a costly delay. If the entire project stays on course, officials are estimating the new, state-funded courthouse would be ready for use in June 2011.
The 36,500-square-foot, three-courtroom facility would cost $32.5 million. The old courthouse on Fifth Street, built in 1962, does not provide enough space for the system’s daily business and lacks permanent security features for the public, such as metal detectors.
De La Cruz said he also personally supports the downtown location and he questioned whether the state agency has an understanding of San Benito County’s dynamics related to the courthouse.
“At what point does the downtown area become a ghost town by building development out of town?” he said.
De La Cruz, however, also agreed with Sheriff Curtis Hill’s recent contention that spurring too much local controversy over the decision could lead to the state pulling back on the deal. Hill has said he has no preference for the new courthouse site.
“That’s a possibility,” De La Cruz said of Hill’s concern.
De La Cruz said it’s a risk the community would have to consider, but he also acknowledged that even though he wants it downtown, he would rather build it on Flynn Road than lose the funds altogether.
