Hollister
– The San Benito County Superior Court has a better chance of
getting a new courthouse, after the state named it as one six
districts allowed to request funds for constructing new facilities
in 2007.
Hollister – The San Benito County Superior Court has a better chance of getting a new courthouse, after the state named it as one six districts allowed to request funds for constructing new facilities in 2007.
San Benito has long been high on the state’s list of counties in need of new court facilities. About a week ago the state announced that San Benito was one of six counties that could have their courthouse projects funded during the 2007-08 fiscal year, according to Superior Court Presiding Judge Steven Sanders.
“I was very ecstatic to hear it,” Sanders said. “I’m overjoyed that it appears all the efforts to encourage the state to dedicate resources to (San Benito County) citizens have paid off.”
The superior court must now send a report to the state Department of Finance by this fall detailing the need and cost of the new building. State legislators will then review the report and decide on funding as they plan the 2007-08 state budget, according to Court Executive Officer Gil Solorio.
“It’s obviously no guarantee,” he said. “On the other hand, it’s still a great opportunity.”
Built in 1960, San Benito’s courthouse in downtown Hollister – with just two court rooms and cramped office space for court employees – is too small, Sanders said. Also, the current facility lacks adequate security measures, he said. People are able to enter and exit the courthouse without going through any security check. Also, shackled inmates are walked through the paltry courthouse lobby, where there is the possibility for contact with the general public.
With the better odds that San Benito will soon have a new courthouse – which will likely be a multiple-story facility with four court rooms estimated to cost $25 million – local court officials are working with the City of Hollister to make sure it stays downtown.
“We’re particularly desirous to keep the courthouse downtown. It seems to be vitally important,” Sanders said, adding that the courthouse serves as an “anchor” for downtown and that court employees and visitors patronize downtown businesses.
“It’s more than just a building,” Sanders said. “It’s a manifestation of the rule of law in the community.”
One possible downtown site is the vacant Fremont School on Fourth Street near the existing courthouse. Though the three-acre school site falls short of the five acres that the state requires for a new courthouse, Sanders said that it may be possible to use the old school site if they are able to find adjacent properties that could be used for parking. RDA Director Bill Avera said that the parking structure on Fourth Street is a possible option for courthouse parking.
Local court officials are working with the Hollister Redevelopment Agency, which owns the Fremont School, to find a way to keep the courthouse downtown.
“We all have the understanding that we want to work with the county, the court and the state to build a new courthouse downtown,” Avera said. “We all have the same goal in mind, trying to keep the courthouse downtown.”
Hollister Downtown Association Executive Director Brenda Weatherly said that her organization is also interested in seeing the courthouse remain downtown because it pulls people into the area who in turn contributes to the downtown economy.
“It’s been here since the beginning,” she said. “It’s part of historic downtown and we want to keep it part of historic downtown.”
Another site that has been mentioned as a possible site for a new courthouse is county-owned property near the jail on Flynn Road, Solorio said.
Representatives of the state will be in San Benito County Friday to look at potential sites for a new courthouse and talk about the need for a new facility in the county, according to Solorio.
If all goes well, Sanders said that he hopes construction of a new courthouse can start within, “a year or so.”
Luke Roney covers local government and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at
lr****@fr***********.com
