Consultants recommend expanding Washoe County courthouse

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

RENO, Nev. - Making room for more courtrooms and personnel to handle the projected increase in Washoe County caseloads over the next two decades won't come cheaply, according to consultants studying the issue.

But they said best way to deal with the crunch is to move district courts from the aging courthouse on Virginia Street into a new complex that would be constructed around the newer family court building a block away at First and Sierra streets.

The $178 million recommendation was made to county commissioners during a workshop on Monday.

Officials from Tate & Snyder Architects of Reno and court planner Dan Wiley of Florida presented two options for county commissioners to consider.

Each would require spending up to $27 million for renovations to handle increased caseloads over the next ten years.

One option calls for $95 million for more renovations to the old courthouse that houses district courts and building additional office space elsewhere at an estimated cost of $35 million.

But Wiley said that would mean almost continual renovation and require the district attorney to lease office space for another 15 years at substantial cost.

The preferred option, he said, would cost $151 million after initial renovation work and move all court-related services to the family court building. The historic courthouse would be kept for officials functions.

The recommendation includes a new, eight-story building for courtrooms and the district attorney's office, and a three-story expansion of the existing family court building built in 1995.

The consultants project the number of district court cases will grow by 45 percent by 2020. The number of court-related employees is projected to grow from 367 to 535 during that time period.

The proposed courts complex would provide up to 450,000 square feet of space, versus 285,000 square feet now. Six additional courtrooms would be built.

County manager Katy Singlaub said the first question is whether the courts should be reunited, with details about how to pay for the expansion to come later.

Wiley said the unified court complex would provide the public with one entrance to the courts complex and one central area for handling prisoners.

As the courts are split now, judges in family court must send staff to fetch records from the main court building across the street. The district attorney's is spread out in three buildings, the clerk's office in two and the public must go in and out of security systems to get their business done, Wiley said.

Wiley emphasized cost estimates are on the high side and include 15 percent contingencies, professional fees, and furnishings, fixture and equipment.

Except for secured parking for judges, the costs do not cover parking. And the consultants said an off-site garage with more than 1,000 spaces could be required, costing millions more.

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