Peyton's Courthouse Alternative

[bobliocatt]

Repairs adding up at old courthouse - Existing courthouse may remain for another 20 years

Initial cost $2.7 million, but building must last at least 5 years

By MARY KELLI PALKA, The Times-Union

Much is unknown about the future of a new Duval County Courthouse, but the one thing that remains certain is that justice will continue to be dispensed from the existing courthouse on East Bay Street for at least the next five years.

So the question is how much will it cost to repair a 1950s vintage building that was supposed to be empty by the end of this year.

Mayor John Peyton's staff said it could cost about $2.7 million to make repairs to the building, but that estimate doesn't include some potentially costly expenses the city might face, such as removing mold or abating asbestos.

It also doesn't include the expense of remodeling the restrooms and other public areas to make them handicap-accessible.

"You could just imagine what the cost would be to keep us here another five to 10 years," said Chief Deputy Court Administrator Joe Stelma Jr.

Full Article

[RiversideGator]

That was a good article in that it points out how incredibly inadequate the current courthouse is and how it is in poor repair. The mini-mayor doesnt ever seem to calculate into his budget for the new courthouse the fact that great sums that will have to be spent to continue to use the current dinosaur or money is blown every year in unnecessarily renting space for court functions. I wonder if that half-wit has ever even been inside the current courthouse in the morning when it is a complete zoo b/c of the tight quarters and where half the people take the stairs because one or more of the elevators are out of order. I think the problem is, politically, no one seems to care if lawyers and judges have a decent, adequate space in which to work. And, no one seems to want to properly build civic structures anymore. When is election day again??

[Urban_Legend]

[RiversideGator]

A little courthouse update: I saw Peyton's car (a Mercedes convertible with a "Mayor" parking pass for those interested) parked outside the current courthouse yesterday. Hopefully he was in there working on a resolution to the courthouse mess which he created. We will see.

[Urban_Legend]

^And you didn't scratch his hood or slash his tires?! I'm disappointed in you, RiversideGator....

[BosTech]

You could at least piss on his tire :-)

[120North]

How about a well placed bag of 3 day old bait shrimp...Under the hood in the fresh air vents.

[La Florida]

Can someone explain to me why we just cant extend the better jax 1/2 cent sales tax beyond the 30 yrs proposed? How about extending it an extra 10 to 20 yrs...this way we can free up some budget issues and get everything on the ball and rolling. And also free up money for the road projects. I would vote to extend it, i dont know about you guys. Im already use to paying an extra 1/2 cent now, so it shouldn't hurt then.

Oh yeah....set money aside for a North Florida Aquarium located on a man made island in the river in front of San Marco Riverwalk.....Wishful Thinking

[RiversideGator]

Sorry, I couldnt vandalize his car. There were too many witnesses.

Seriously though, I just want him out of office and back in Ponte Vedra where he belongs. It is obvious to me that he doesnt care about downtown or Jacksonville much and he was just trying to use this job as a stepping stone (he was telling people when he was a kid he wanted to be President - our first President under 5 feet tall). We will see little progress under his poor administration.

[Dale]

Sorry, I couldnt vandalize his car.  There were too many witnesses. 

Seriously though, I just want him out of office and back in Ponte Vedra where he belongs.  It is obvious to me that he doesnt care about downtown or Jacksonville much and he was just trying to use this job as a stepping stone (he was telling people when he was a kid he wanted to be President - our first President under 5 feet tall).  We will see little progress under his poor administration.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, I'd like to see him run for president. Overall, I'd very much prefer a president who *doesn't* get things done. B)

[RiversideGator]

Actually, I'd like to see him run for president. Overall, I'd very much prefer a president who *doesn't* get things done. cool.gif

haha. Good point Dale. I would like to see a President cut regulation and taxes and unneeded programs and benefits though. Unfortunately, we have seen far too little of this from Bush. Generally though, I agree that the fed govt that does the least is the best.