Ritter Signs Bill to Build New Judicial Center, History Museum

Gov. Bill Ritter today signed legislation that authorizes construction of a new state judicial complex, to be named after former Gov. Ralph L. Carr, and creates a new home for the aging Colorado History Museum in downtown Denver.

SB 206 creates a financing mechanism to allow the building of the Ralph L. Carr Justice Center on the block currently occupied by the Colorado Supreme Court and Colorado History Museum. The 615,000-square-foot complex will consolidate into one location the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Attorney General’s office and several other judicial and legal offices, including the state Public Defender and Office of the Child's Advocate, now located across multiple sites. The History Museum will be relocated to a new 200,000-square-foot facility one block south.

“The existing Supreme Court and History Museum buildings opened more than 30 years ago,” Ritter said. “They were outdated and obsolete from the day they opened, and they have not aged well since."

By consolidating the state’s judicial and legal offices under one roof, the state should save more than $60 million in rent, lease and other expenses over the next 30 years. The state will also avoid having to spend $17 million in maintenance costs needed to bring the current Supreme Court and History Museum buildings up to code. The buildings are located on the block bounded by Broadway, Lincoln and 13th and 14th avenues.

The roof of the museum has leaked since it opened, and employees regularly use buckets and trash cans to collect rainwater and prevent damage to historical artifacts. The museum also lacks proper climate controls for storing and displaying its collection. The collection includes more than 10 million documents, 800,000 photographs and 250,000 artifacts.

Ritter said he was happy that the new courts building would be named after former Gov. Ralph L. Carr, who gained fame for resisting efforts to intern Japanese-Americans citizens during World War II.

“I am particularly pleased we are naming the new justice center after one of my heroes and one of the truly great Coloradans,” Ritter added. “More than 60 years after standing up for the rights of Japanese-Americans, and by extension the rights of us all, Ralph Carr is finally getting the recognition he deserves.”

Supreme Court chief justice Mary Mullarkey said the judiciary is pleased by the prospect, after years of effort, that a new courts building will be built.

“We very much appreciate the legislature’s hard work and bipartisan efforts in developing this bill and the governor’s approval of it,” Mullarkey said. “This new facility will provide greater safety for the court, efficiency in our operations and significant long-term cost savings to the people of Colorado.”

SB 206 authorizes the state to enter into lease-purchase agreements, increase court fees and utilize the state historical fund to pay for the project. Total project costs for the new museum are $113 million, and $295 million for the judicial center, both spread out over 35 years.

The new museum will open in late 2011 and the judicial center in 2014. The new museum site will be a public-private partnership, jointly developed with a private office tower.

The legislation was sponsored by Sens. Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, and Josh Penry, R-Fruita, and Reps. Terrance Carroll, D-Denver, and Don Marostica, R-Loveland.

Bill to Fund New State Courts Building, History Museum Clears House

The dangerous and aging state courts building west of the Capitol will be replaced if a bill given final clearance by the House Wednesday is signed into law.

The current state judicial building, located across Lincoln Avenue from the Capitol at the south end of Civic Center park, has been plagued by structural problems, persistent water leaks and vulnerability to terrorist or criminal attacks.

Once built, the new judicial complex will be named the "Ralph L. Carr Judicial Complex."

It will house the state supreme court and court of appeals, as well as agencies of the supreme court, and the Department of Law (attorney general), state public defender, Office of the Child's Representative and Alternate Defense Counsel.

Currently most of those court agencies and other state prosecution and public defender agencies are housed in private office buildings leased by the state.

House debate on the measure focused on the debt the state will assume to build it and the assertions by one Republican that the building is not in need of replacement due to its relatively young age.

Rep. Douglas Bruce, R-Colorado Springs, argued that TABOR requires voter approval of the proposal, despite state supreme court precedent holding that lease-purchase agreements of the type to be used to build the new court complex aren't subject to that constitutional provision. He also said the building shouldn't be replaced since it is only about 40 years old.

"This is a momentous bill," Bruce said. "On average, according to the sponsor, court costs for having your day in court are going to go up about 37 percent. This is $633 million in debt the people won't be able to vote on."

Rep. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West, pointed out that the design of the currrent building is not amenable to safety.

"It's not a building worth keeping," McFadyen said. "Building on the cheap is not saving any taxpayer any money."

Rep. Terrance Carroll, D-Denver, also pointed out that the current building is unsafe.

"Our courts are targets," Carroll said. "I think it's necessary. Our court [building], right now, is grossly insufficient in the level of security it has."

Rep. Don Marostica, R-Loveland, said the measure protects the state against inflation in construction costs and reminded legislators that the bill contemplates that the judicial department would purchase the site now occupied by the history museum.

The third reading vote in the House on SB 206 was 50-14. It gained final approval in the Senate April 14 by a 22-12 vote. The bill now moves back to the Senate for consideration of amendments added by the House.

Construction on the new museum would commence in the second quarter of 2009, with completion by 2011, while the new Ralph L. Carr Judicial Complex would be built between 2012 and 2014.