This week, we see how the county courthouse project is faring in the court of public opinion.
First, a recap.
Long story short, Snohomish County’s courthouse was built in 1967, featuring asbestos, earthquake hazards and criminals passing the public in the hallways. (Thanks again, leaders of the 1960s!) The county spent nearly $7 million planning a new courthouse and buying space for it, plus untold hours dreaming about curtains and light fixtures. Along the way, the cost of the project ballooned to $162 million. Then Everett noticed the project was a wee bit — OK, at least 100 spaces — short on parking and gave the county a clear “slow your roll,” rejecting the plan. The county balked at spending another $20 million to $45 million on a garage; Everett was like, “talk to the hand;” and here we are.
In our unscientific HeraldNet.com poll, we asked who needs to budge. More than 24 percent said the county should add parking; 11 percent said Everett should relax its demands. The majority preferred a more drastic approach: 23 percent would move it out of downtown Everett, and 41 percent said the whole project should be scrapped.
That’s not really surprising, considering the drumbeat of bad news about the project and the specter of spending upward of $200 million on a place most of us would rather avoid.
Amazingly, the “scrap the whole thing” crowd might get its wish. The County Council will vote next week on whether to put the project on ice and re-evaluate.
That leads us back to the court of public opinion, where courthouse supporters might want to start by reminding everyone about the asbestos and earthquake hazards that got us here in the first place.
For our next poll, we ask about vaccinations in light of the recent measles outbreak at Disneyland.
— Doug Parry, Herald Web editor: dparry@heraldnet.com
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
