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Committee member urges exploring sale or reuse of JJC Building to help fund 9-1-1 center
Summary
A committee member asked the board to develop two or three vetted options — including sale, reuse of the old courthouse, or retention — for the JJC Building, citing the Justice Center's added 60,000 square feet and an estimated $500,000 HVAC cost. The proposals are to be presented to the board for a decision.
A committee member urged the Kootenai County board to develop multiple options for the county's JJC Building, including pursuing liquidation, repurposing old courthouse space, or retaining the building after evaluating costs and benefits.
"In conclusion, district court would be supportive of pursuing liquidation of the JJC Building, provided that the concerns outlined above are addressed through a comprehensive and permanent solution," the committee member said, reading from an operational concerns memo produced after a temporary move. He added that the new Justice Center added about 60,000 square feet, reducing the county's need for the older building.
The member urged the board to identify at least two low-cost alternatives to move occupants if judges do not return to the JJC Building and suggested a third option of retaining the building if warranted. He said modest upgrades to unused space in the old courthouse'such as paint, flooring and improved lighting'might allow other departments to occupy that space more cheaply than maintaining the older JJC Building.
"Because you're talking about a 500,000 just for the HVAC system," the committee member said, citing a six-figure maintenance estimate as an example of the building's ongoing costs.
He proposed that staff or interested parties prepare two or three vetted proposals so nothing emerges as a surprise when the board considers next steps. One option he raised specifically was selling the JJC Building and using proceeds to help fund the county's 9-1-1 center rather than continuing to expand the county's physical footprint and incur frequent repair costs.
The board did not take a formal vote during this discussion. The committee member asked that the vetted proposals be presented to the board for decision at a future meeting.
