Site for new courthouse selected Design firm’s pick for relocated facilities is city-owned lot near Washington Street

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BANGOR – Judges, lawyers and jurors in the city will likely be dispensing justice a few years from now in a new facility overlooking the Kenduskeag stream near where it empties into the Penobscot River.

During a standing-room-only meeting Friday at Bangor District Court, the New York City consulting firm hired by the state to analyze potential sites for expanding the state courts unveiled its top pick – a city-owned parcel bounded by Exchange, Washington and Hancock streets located along the Kenduskeag Stream. Local officials have long referred to the site as B-13.

If the site is approved by the state later this year, planning and building the facility to house Penobscot County Superior Court and 3rd District Court is expected to take 31/2 years at a cost to be determined.

The site was one of nine in Bangor and neighboring Brewer that were under consideration.

Also receiving high rankings were the current court location at the corner of Hammond and Court streets and the Bangor Theological Seminary Campus off Hammond Street, though the seminary site was deemed somewhat problematic because of the historically significant structures there.

During their presentation, Rob Fisch and David Must of Ricci Greene Associates, which specializes in designing court and corrections facilities, said the B-13 site held a slight edge because using it would avoid the need to build a parking structure, which would add millions of dollars to the project’s bottom line.

The existing downtown parking garage and land for outdoor parking lots are already available.

They also concluded that having to “shoehorn” a new building among existing structures on the current site would result in a “small tower,” or a building of as many as eight floors, which also would drive up the cost.

While city and county officials had hoped the courts would stay at their current spot, some agreed Friday that if the courts must move, a site in downtown Bangor was about the best they could hope for.

“I think we’re in agreement with the county that the ideal place for the city and the county would be to have it in the current location,” City Council Chairman Frank Farrington said Friday.

“But if it does have to move, B-13 would be a good spot because it is of paramount importance to have the court in downtown Bangor, because of history and tradition and because the legal community has congregated in the downtown,” Farrington said.

Peter Baldacci, chairman of the Penobscot County commissioners and a Bangor attorney, said, “I’m glad that the [state court officials] are willing to consider maintaining the presence of the court in downtown Bangor,” though he noted, “We are still waiting for cost figures.”

State court officials are in the process of exploring their options for expanding the district and superior court facilities, which State Court Administrator James “Ted” Glessner said no longer meet the state’s needs, both in terms of space and function.

Ideally, Glessner said, the state would like to consolidate the two court operations into a single facility so that the state could realize some efficiencies in areas such as security, technology and staffing.

Glessner also said the state was seeking a site that was prominent, could accommodate expansion, had access to parking and was handy to downtown Bangor, among other things.

The lack of cost figures for the project was troubling to City Councilor Dan Tremble, chairman of the council’s business and economic development committee.

“I’m glad to see the recommendation of the architects is to keep the courts in the downtown area. However, it’s difficult for us to evaluate sites without the cost figures,” he said. “B-13 will add costs for Penobscot County and you have to look at that as part of the total long-term costs. … It remains to be seen if B-13 is the best site. There still are a lot of unanswered questions, with the big question being the cost.

“When you look at public facilities, the sky’s not the limit,” he said. “We have to be prudent with taxpayer dollars.”

The consultants said the cost would be driven by the site ultimately picked, a decision that is at least a week away.

After the close of a comment period on April 22, a final site decision will be made by Chief Justice Leigh Saufley of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, with input from staff.

The project then moves to the next phase, namely working with the Legislature to obtain authorization and funding. The judiciary’s goal is to get the project funded during this legislative session, expected to wind down in May or June.

As it stands, the current court facilities provide about 72,000 square feet of space and six courtrooms. After analyzing space needs, the consultants determined that at least 100,000 square feet and eight courtrooms are needed to meet the state’s needs now and for at least the next decade.

Justice Paul Rudman of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court said community support for the project would be important in the week ahead.

Political infighting, he said, “could derail the project. There are a lot of communities in the state that would love to have this project,” he said.

As he sees it, one of the biggest benefits of the project will be improved safety and security.

The inability to separate court personnel, the public and defendants in the two existing buildings has long posed serious safety concerns, noted Rudman.

For example, he said, it was not uncommon to see a victim of domestic abuse “sitting on a bench and across from her is the guy who just beat the living daylights out of her.”

No matter which site is approved for the project, according to Baldacci, the county intends to maintain its historic Superior Court building “for the next 100 years,” though he added the commissioners had not made any decisions with regard to reuse.

“There’s been some discussion, but it’s been pretty loose,” County Administrator Bill Collins added.