LAKEPORT >> Lake County court is in search for a new location for a long proposed move after the current potential site near Vista Point has come in over budget.
The State Administrative Office of the Court (AOC) staff contacted the County Administrative Office for other potential areas to look into such as North Lakeport property that is adjacent to the Hill Road jail and on Bevins Court that is adjacent to the Health Services Department.
The courthouse is currently located on the fourth floor of the Lake County building. Carol Huchingson, County Administrative Officer, said the Hill Road jail is potentially available because of the cancelation of the jail expansion project and the Health Services can be relocated to another location making the place on Bevins Court available.
According to the California Courthouse website, the new Lake County Courthouse will have four courtrooms, a leased Record Storage Annex and a space for court administration. This project is currently expected to be completed in the winter of 2020.
“This overcrowded facility has significant security problems, severe accessibility deficiencies and many physical problems preventing the court from providing safe and efficient court services to the public,” was the reason given by AOC staff and the county for the move.
The state is the entity handling aspects of the court, not the city Huchingson added. She went to the Board of Supervisors to find the next step in the process, which is to send a letter to the state to look into putting the courthouse on one of the recommended locations.
“The city is hoping it will consider other places in the area, but the Administrative Office of the Court was very specific about the locations they are interested in,” Huchingson said.
One of the positive aspects of keeping the Courthouse in the city is the traffic it brings and employment Huchingson said. Moving the project to Hill Road jail would be cutting cost for the police department, which would allow them to use their expenses elsewhere.
Some negative aspects brought up about moving it to the Health Services Department on Bevins would be the traffic congestion it would cause next to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office where they have to rush off to emergencies.
“There isn’t much out by the Hill jail so getting transportation out there would be difficult, however I’m sure they would make adjustments to that if the project were to be moved there,” Huchingson said.
The AOC and people from the city will be presenting these options to their board in San Francisco on March 17. They will be looking to put in the pros and cons of each site to present to get the best possible outcome for the new Courthouse.
“I think it was a positive discussion between the city and the county,” Huchingson said. “The hope is to land the project in the city and keep it here.”
