For the moment, the question in Benton County government circles isn’t so much where to put a new courts facility; it’s how to aff ord one.
As county leaders ponder construction of a building to house courts and courts-related functions, lingering tension has come between people who believe keeping them downtown is crucialto that area’s future and those who see the daily operational advantages of building the courts next door to the jail, where the people accused of crimes are given temporary living quarters.
Consolidating the courts, which are now spread around the downtown areas, is a priority for County Judge Bob Clinard. He favors building a facility near the jail.
But people such as Bentonville Mayor Bob McCaslin want the courts - which draws lawyers, legal assistants, juries and families to downtown - to continue contributing to the vibrancy of downtown as they have for more than a century.
Early last week, the county released a draft feasibility study that gave everyone involved a case of sticker shock with three scenarios: Build downtown on the site of the old county jail. Estimated cost: $49.7 million.
Build on North Second Street across from the existing courthouse and tower. Estimated cost: $53.7 million.
Build on county-owned property on Southwest 14th Street, near the county jail. Estimated cost: $49.6 million.
“That’s almost twice as much as I thought it was going to be,” said Kurt Moore, a justice of the peace. “I knew it was gong to be expensive, but not that much.”
Others joined in with similar sentiments. Nothing unites Benton County leaders quite so much as the public getting the idea they’re spending money on frills. Wherever the facility is built, it sounds like county leaders want to trim a considerable amount off those cost estimates.
They came from the study done by Hight-Jackson Associates, a local architectural fi rm working with the National Center for State Courts.
It’s important to build such a facility for a little money as possible, but also to build a structure to last for decades, provide critical security features and designed so it creates the formal atmosphere reflective of the life-changing decisions happening within its walls. This can’t be a thin-walled oftce building with one big lobby.
Courts are specialized designs for a specialized purpose.
Efforts to cut the “frills” can go too far.
Consider this: An expansion of the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, mostly made up of lobby and backstage space, is estimated at more than $20 million.
It’s also important to note Benton County, despite what some people believe, is no longer a small county. It is the second-most populous county in the state, and growing. County oft cials must take care not to let their cost-cutting shortchange this facility’s capacity to meet future needs.
Construction costs appear be the least likely factor to determine location, anyway. This will boil down to the extent county leaders feel a commitment to the future of downtown vs. whatever operational benefits the county can realize by moving. Making that call will be harder than trimming costs.
Opinion, Pages 10 on 01/05/2014