Published: Friday, September 28, 2012, 1:42 PM
Updated: Friday, September 28, 2012, 8:17 PM
By Dana Tims, The Oregonian
Judge Nan Waller remembers well the question her 10-year-old son asked when he learned she was going to start working in Multnomah County's historic downtown courthouse.
"Mommy, are you going to move into the building that's going to fall down and kill everyone?" Sam asked his mother, who is now the county's presiding Circuit Court judge.
That was 11 years ago, yet his query about the courthouse's safety remains just as pressing today. The 103-year-old structure is badly overcrowded, has a basement crammed full of three generations of electrical upgrades and is underpinned by unreinforced ceramic walls likely to crumble during an earthquake.
Now, Waller and two county commissioners are leading a series of "listening sessions" aimed at weighing the two options that frame a debate headed for action sooner than later -- renovate the existing structure, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, or build a new courthouse elsewhere.
Both are expensive, coming in around $250 million, and both are contentious.
If the views expressed by many attending the first session Thursday night are any indication, reaching consensus for what happens to the building won't be easy.
However, Commissioner Deborah Kafoury told the 50 or so people who showed up that, unlike the delays and stumbles that have sidetracked past efforts to resolve the issue, the time has come to make a decision and move ahead.
"If we can do it for the Sellwood Bridge," she said, referring to the another long-contentious project that's now finally moving forward, "we can do it for the courthouse."
The crowd included judges, attorneys, historic-preservation advocates, courthouse employees and construction interests.
Michael Bowers, the county's new facilities manager, delivered a brief overview laced with some of the snags inherent in either option.
Renovation, for instance, would immediately raise the question of whether to keep the courthouse open during construction -- exposing employees, as well as the 1,600 members of the public who visit the building each day, to noise and dust -- or move everything elsewhere for the four to six years estimated to finish the job.
Seismic upgrades to meet federal earthquake standards alone will cost around $60 million, Bowers said.
An entirely new courthouse built on a different site, meanwhile, would mean costly real estate purchases and the possibility of losing one of the courthouse's best features -- its prime downtown location.
Among those attending the session, both options had their advocates, but most said the courthouse needs to remain downtown.
Multnomah County District Attorney Michael Schrunk said some current operations, including the DA's office, could be moved out of the building to free up space for other uses. He pointed to the building's central location, however, as a reason to keep the county courthouse where it is.
Circuit Judge Julie Frantz said the courthouse's proximity to the Multnomah County Justice Center, located just across the street, is essential for efficient operations.
Waller and others voiced concerns that the current courthouse is too small and that its configuration presents security concerns such as judges, attorneys, victims and shackled defendants sometimes having to ride the same elevator together.
Several long-time courthouse employees said they worry about potential health problems caused by asbestos and water from aging pipes.
Commissioner Judy Shiprack said her board currently is set to consider a resolution in November that is likely to favor one option or the other.
Whichever path is selected, it is not likely to involve a bond measure to finance renovation or construction, she said.
"It is a good time for low interest rates and we have a good bond rating," Shiprack said.
Financing assistance from the state Legislature is also likely to play a role if the project has any chance of coming to fruition, she added.
The next listening session is set for Oct. 24. It will be held at the courthouse Oct. 24, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., in Room 602.