EVERETT — When it comes to Snohomish County’s stalled courthouse project, political leaders can agree on one thing: their exasperation.
Beyond that, there’s little common ground.
County Council Chairman Dave Somers on Monday proposed the latest turn in what had been a project to build an eight-story, $162 million courthouse until the groundbreaking was canceled last month.
Somers wants to take another look at remodeling the existing 1967 courthouse and adding a new wing with three or four stories.
“It’s less expensive than the $162 million option, it seems feasible, (but) the level of detail we need to make a final decision isn’t there yet, so that’s the intent,” Somers said during a council meeting.
That’s similar to the plans the county started pursuing in 2012 that Somers opposed. Instead, the council decided in 2013 to build a brand-new courthouse and later settled on an option that cost more than double the option to remodel the old building and add a new wing.
Somers and his colleagues decided Monday to wait at least a week before exploring a new direction on the project. The pause should allow court officials a chance to consider the idea and make a recommendation on whether it’s worth their time, something many officials clearly doubt.
If the county follows up with a detailed study it’s likely to take a couple of months and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, facilities director Mark Thunberg said.
Somers’ proposal counters recommendations that County Executive John Lovick made about the courthouse earlier this month. The council chairman is challenging Lovick for the executive’s job in the Nov. 3 election.
Lovick issued a press release Sept. 1 announcing he no longer supported building a new downtown courthouse. He blamed Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson and the Everett City Council for failing to work with the county to solve parking concerns.
Lovick suggested looking for other potential locations beyond downtown Everett and directed staff to seek bids for the work.
Somers’ motion would stop any further work on scouting other areas farther from the county jail and legal services clustered downtown.
Lovick also recommended returning to taxpayers a portion of the property taxes raised for courthouse construction but now may not be used for that purpose. That amounts to about $4 million annually. The executive wanted to use some of the remaining dollars to address safety issues within the current building, replace elevators and abate hazardous materials such as asbestos.
The executive also suggested retiring unused portions of the $75 million in bonds taken out for courthouse construction as a way to save money.
Somers said he wants to settle on a plan before deciding what to do about the bonds. His proposal would reserve the courthouse-related tax increases solely for future courthouse needs until details for a cheaper alternative emerge.
The assistant presiding judge for Snohomish County Superior Court, Linda Krese, reminded council members Monday that court officials didn’t start the discussions about rebuilding or remodeling the old courthouse. They work with other branches of government to let them know what plans are best for the public and staff.
Krese said the remodeling proposal doesn’t appear to meet those needs.
“We do not necessarily think that money should be spent to do something inadequate,” she said.
If the courts remain in the old building, Krese said, the county needs to fix the elevators, since there aren’t enough to begin with and one has been broken for months.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
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