Construction of the new San Benito County courthouse has been moving at a brisk pace on the lot at the corner of Monterey and Fourth streets. Judge Steven Sanders said last week the court staff members estimate the first proceedings will be held at the new courthouse location by the end of this year or early in 2014.
“The courthouse is going up,” he said, during a presentation at the San Benito County supervisors’ meeting Aug. 6. “It is almost done.”
He said the bottom floor of the building will be for administrative offices, with four court rooms to fill the second story of the building.
“It will take us up to the 21st century,” he said. “I believe this will be the last courthouse we will see this century so we’ve taken as many steps as we can to have it see us through the foreseeable future.”
Sanders talked about the “four steps forward, three steps back” process of getting the project approved in San Benito County, especially given that residents were outspoken about having the new building in a spot near downtown Hollister.
“We learned a lot through the process,” Sanders said, adding also that the Hollister project got approval just under the wire. “Many courthouse construction projects have been stopped.”
Supervisors Margie Barrios and Anthony Botelho both said they were glad to hear that some local contractors had been offered work on the project.
Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz asked if it would be possible to place “a shrine or plaque” to honor the community members who had lobbied to have the courthouse built on the spot of the former Fremont School site.
Sanders said he would speak with state officials about it, but the state has strict requirements for the types of monuments or plaques that can be placed at state buildings.
“The state is very strict so I’m not sure we would get much in that regard,” Sanders said.
Sanders said an open house will be scheduled upon the completion of the courthouse so residents will be able to tour the facility.
The construction of the courthouse, which is being overseen by contractor Kitchell, has a budget of $37,378,000. The contractors are seeking LEED silver certification, a designation that is given to buildings that meet green industry standards. A webcam of the construction progress can be viewed online at www.courts.ca.gov/facilities-sanbenito.htm.
During the board meeting, Sanders also discussed the budget for the courthouse, which comes from the state. He said the state’s judicial branch has suffered $260 million in reductions from the state legislature to help cover the state’s general fund budget. This year, the state restored $60 million in funding, but a new law limits how much courts can hold in a reserve fund.
“We don’t anticipate we will have much left,” Sanders said. “We have taken measures to reduce expenditures, especially through attrition. We think we will be able to continuing operating though at a minimal level. We will meet all our mandated requirements.”
