EVERETT — The tortuous process of figuring out what to do with Snohomish County’s aging courthouse is bound to play out a little longer, with a decision on pursuing a major renovation project likely delayed until early next year.
The County Council had been expecting to vote on a plan in December. Specialists from the county’s architect have spent months examining the nearly 50-year-old building and likely need a little longer. They’re trying to determine what can be accomplished within the $62 million budget — and what would be left off the to-do list.
Council Chairman Terry Ryan said last week he was eagerly awaiting the architect’s proposal, which he expected to reach the council for a vote in February.
In a recent guest editorial, a half-dozen Snohomish County Superior Court judges urged the council to reject the renovation plan, which they consider a waste of money. They called it irresponsible to try to rehabilitate a building that’s not worth fixing. They said the county would be smarter to focus its efforts on a new building — and wait, if necessary, until money is available.
Planning for the courthouse has followed a yo-yo-like trajectory since 2012, when a majority of the County Council voted to renovate the 1967 justice building. A few months later, council members determined that many of the old building’s problems were too severe to fix. They decided to build a new courthouse, believing it wouldn’t cost much more than an overhaul.
The following year, after John Lovick took over as county executive, his administration discovered that the new construction project would cost much more than originally thought. A majority of the council signed off on a $162 million plan for an eight-story courthouse across the street and down the block.
Those plans were put on hold during the summer of 2015, a week before contractors were supposed to have broken ground. Dave Somers, who moved into the executive’s office after beating Lovick in the 2015 election, earlier this year recommended returning to a remodeling plan. He said the county’s finances were too shaky to support the new construction project.
Only two council members remain from 2012. Three different county executives have served during that time.
About $13 million has been spent so far on architectural plans and property acquisitions for various phases of the project. A half dozen properties condemned to accommodate the footprint of the new courthouse have mostly sat derelict.
The overhaul option would add modern courthouse elevators and bathrooms in a new tower on the north side of the building. Current mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems would be in line for upgrades, as they’re already considered at the end of their lifespans. Renovation might extend them for another 25 years, according to a project summary from Somers’ office. The county’s growing population, and more demand on its legal functions, could continue to pinch space in the building during those two and a half decades.
Asbestos would remain in parts of the courthouse untouched by the renovation. Officials have cautioned that available funding won’t be enough to address some critical needs.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
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