Most elected officials don’t have much praise for the pandemic.
But a two-year timeout has improved conceptual plans for an $85 million Morris County courthouse in Morristown, county Commissioner Doug Cabana said Monday, ahead of a unanimous vote authorizing a year of more detailed planning.
Commissioners hope it culminates with a ribbon-cutting in 2025.
Plans in 2020 called for 140,000 square feet of space on county land at Schuyler Place.
That projection has been trimmed to about 117,000 square feet, partly because fewer prisoner holding cells are required since the COVID-19 crisis. Arraignments now are conducted remotely, explained representatives of AECOM, the project’s Clifton-based contractor.
“Just think, had we moved forward with the building, pre-pandemic, we’d be sitting here today saying how are we going to rethink this because of the way the courts’ function has changed,” said Cabana.
Underground parking also has been eliminated from plans, said Commissioner John Krickus. A jury assembly room, on the other hand, will gain capacity for an extra 200 jurors.
Details could change as the design evolves, Commissioner Stephen Shaw emphasized.
SHRINKING BUILDING, RISING COSTS
Three years ago, the price tag for a larger courthouse was pegged at $62 million. Commissioners on Monday attributed the heftier estimate for a smaller building to inflation. The project will be financed with bonds over 25 years.
An initial projection of $106 million included renovations to the historic 1827 courthouse still in use at Washington and Court streets.
Superior Court Assignment Judge Stuart Minkowitz, Morris Prosecutor Robert Carroll and Sheriff James Gannon reiterated the need for eight modern courtrooms to replace those antiquated facilities.
They described a warren of mismatched, cobbled-together expansions that pose fire hazards, remain largely inaccessible to persons with disabilities, and lack wiring for today’s technology.
The historic status of the present courthouse complicates repairs, the judge said. Gannon added it’s a challenge protecting judges, lawyers and the public from defendants because they all must share the same corridors.
A 45-minute presentation by AECOM appeared to show a six-story structure. Four floors will have two courtrooms apiece, with a ground floor for administrative operations and a top floor of shared chambers for judges. Previous plans arrayed the eight courtrooms across two floors, with two levels of parking.
The new design prevents corridor interactions among the judiciary, public and defendants, said Roger Lichtman of AECOM.
Prisoners from the county jail will be delivered through a secure “sally port” accessed from Court Street. The public will enter via a plaza to be created on Washington Street.
That plaza will span about half of the “pocket” park next to the Grand Café, according to Shaw, chair of the courthouse committee. The new courthouse will extend onto the rest of the park, created in 2011 on the footprint of a demolished county building.
Cabana and Commissioner Deborah Smith said they are glad to preserve some of the park. Open space is important to the town, Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty said at the county administration building.
The mayor acknowledged the court system as an economic magnet, but questioned the project’s scale–it’s still larger than the new six-story, 110,000-square-foot Deloitte headquarters on Morris Street–and parking.
“What is our role?” Dougherty asked the commissioners. Shaw said the county will include town officials in the planning process as a courtesy.
REMEMBERING JAY DELANEY
The afternoon work session opened with condolences to the family of former Morristown Mayor Jay DeLaney Jr., who died Sunday after a brief battle with cancer. He was 68.
“To know Jay was to like him,” said Commissioner Director Tayfun Selen.
“He was a very upbeat, down-to-earth mayor, and a person who tried to know everyone in this town. He was found everywhere, walking the downtown, greeting people and trying to tackle every local problem…He will be missed.”
Dougherty said flags in town will fly at half-staff until DeLaney’s funeral on Nov. 30, 2022.
“It’s a sad day. He was a personal friend and a great ambassador for Morristown,” Dougherty told Morristown Green after the county meeting.
