BENTONVILLE -- Benton County justices of the peace are expected to declare their intent tonight to keep a proposed new courts building downtown.
The Committee of the Whole is set to approve a proposal stating the county will build downtown. The justices of the peace endorsed the plan in a straw vote last month. The Southwest 14th Street site near the Benton County Jail will no longer be considered if the proposal passes.
What’s next
Benton County’s Committee of the Whole will consider endorsing a downtown Bentonville location for a courts building. The committee is set to meet at 6 p.m. in the Quorum Courtroom of the County Administration Building, 215 E. Central Ave. in Bentonville.
Source: Staff report
County Judge Barry Moehring said choosing the location will move the project forward. Moehring wants the county to arrive at a plan for the location, size of the building and a financing mechanism before the end of the year.
"Within three months of taking office we've settled the location decision, which has been debated for the last five years." Moehring said. "I think we have the best opportunity we've had to move quickly to a decision by the Quorum Court and by the voters of Benton County."
The Committee of the Whole met Feb. 28 to brief the Quorum Court's seven new justices of the peace on the status of the project. The panel approved a motion for a "straw vote" that supported the Second Street location project consultants have identified as a possible location.
The motion was approved 10-2, with Justices of the Peace Bob Bland and Brent Meyers voting against it. Justice of the Peace Shirley Sandlin abstained. Justices of the Peace Pat Adams and Adriane Carr were absent. Voting in favor were Justices of the Peace Mike McKenzie, Josh Bryant, Barney Hayes, Tom Allen, Bill Burnett, Joel Jones, Susan Anglin, Michelle Chiocco, Kurt Moore and Joel Edwards.
Bland said he has received positive feedback from constituents on his vote favoring the Southwest 14th Street site over the downtown plans.
"Many people from out in the district have called, texted or emailed, and they've all been pleased that I had the backbone to go against the majority in this case. I continue to believe that [Southwest 14th Street] is the way to go," Bland said.
Bland said he believes the county urgently needs a new courts facility and he'll work to make the best of the situation, even if the location isn't his first choice.
"I'm not going to be one of those people who says 'If I don't get what I want I'm going to pick up my crayons and go home,'" he said.
County officials have discussed plans for a building to house circuit courts and related offices for several years. The six circuit courts are spread among four locations. Three are housed in the courthouse built in 1928. Other sites include two other buildings in the downtown Bentonville area and at the Juvenile Justice facility on Melissa Drive.
A study in 2014 identified three sites: two downtown and one on Southwest 14th Street near the jail.
Former county judge Bob Clinard supported the Southwest 14th Street location while he was in office. He said Monday he still believes that location is the best choice.
"Anywhere from 15 to 20 years, if they build it downtown, they're going to have to move to another site and add some more courtrooms," Clinard said. "It's not the best long-term decision for the county based on the number of judges projected for the county. It's not the best choice in terms of disruption of the courts system. If they build on [Southwest 14th Street] they can just move right in. It's not the best choice in terms of traffic congestion. They're going to have to close some streets during construction downtown. It's not the best choice from a construction standpoint."
A second study last year by consultants Perkowitz, Ruth, Cromwell and Dewberry presented six building options, with two options on Southwest 14th Street, one for property behind the courthouse and three options for property on Northeast Second Street, just off the downtown square.
One of the concepts for Southwest 14th Street was ranked highest by the consultants, with one of the Northeast Second Street options close behind. The Option 1 plan on Southwest 14th Street would cost about $37.8 million. The Option 4 program on Northeast Second Street will cost about $34.5 million, with about $11 million in incentives offered by Walton family interests factored in.
Walton family interests have supported plans to keep the court and related offices downtown. The Walton Family Foundation made a $2.8 million grant available to renovate the courthouse and has agreed to buy land on Northeast Second Street and transfer it to the county. The Waltons also indicated they'll build a parking garage on Northeast B Street, near the downtown sites, and make space available for county and courts-related parking if the courts stay downtown.
Adams said he favors a downtown courts building, even though his first choice isn't Second Street. Adams favored building on the property between the courthouse and the County Administration Building. The county needs to make sure the new building, wherever it is located, will meet the county's needs into the future, he said.
"I don't want to do anything that's going to just get us by for a few years," Adams said. "We need to do it right when we do it. I've seen too many projects where people tried to cut corners. It winds up costing you double in the end."
With the choice of the Second Street location, the county still will face a decision on what to do with the old Post Office that houses Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren's court and some Circuit Clerk's records.
Chiocco favors the downtown location but said the county needs to keep the building and make it part of the new courts project. She rejected the idea of the county selling the property.
"I would probably like to see the old Post Office kept," she said. "I think so much is changing in downtown structurally, I'm a proponent of keeping history and preserving landmarks. I think selling it would be the most ridiculous thing in the world. Whoever bought it would buy it for the land and tear it down. We need to keep it, incorporate it somehow, and go for it."
NW News on 03/14/2017