By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
In keeping with the Utah Judicial System Master Plan
For Capital Facilities, the committee representing the court
system is that any court facility should be located in the
center of Nephi.
Neil Cook, commission chairman, said that in the
meeting with the state judicial system Administrative Office
of the Courts (AOC) held last week, a few alternatives for
constructing a new courthouse were considered.
"The attitude of the judges is that they want the
courthouse to be in the center of town," said Cook.
Guidelines developed by the Judicial System of the
State of Utah pursuant to Rule 3-409 of the Rules of
Judicial Administration, in order to meet the stated
intentions of the Rule and to promote the creation of
facilities that support effective and efficient Court
operations direct that all planning and design will reflect
the organizational, operational and facility management
goals of the Utah Judicial System.
One of those goals is that, in order to provide
appropriate service to the public, court facilities should
be centrally and conveniently located to serve the citizens
of the county.
Courthouses in the state should also provide an
appropriate setting for the administration of justice and
should be designed to reflect an appropriate image of
dignity.
Space standards should be employed to ensure
the appropriate judicial setting for existing and new
courtrooms and provide for the collocation of key judicial
programs, services and related agencies
The state's goals are also that court facilities
should be planned to include all organizations, agencies and
services operated by the court and necessary to support the
effective and efficient processing of cases.
"They will come back, for a work session, on May 11 at
3 p.m.," said Cook. "They will have some projected numbers
by then."
The courthouse would take a few years of planning
before it could become a reality, said Cook.
Jared Eldridge, county attorney, who attended the
meeting with Cook, said the plans would, most likely, not be
ready for construction until 2008.
"We don't have the level of security in our present
courtrooms that they would like," said Eldridge.
The AOC want physical facilities to be planned with
security and property maintenance in mind.
"Security is an issue," said Eldridge. "In one case,
we had as evidence, $3 million worth of cocaine. Somebody
might risk trying to grab drugs worth that much money."
There are security measures in place in the courthouse
but they are not to the level that the AOC would like.
"There are lots of kooks out there," said Steele.
As was done with the Utah Highway Patrol office
located at the county jail, the money would be obtained by
the county for the building but would be paid back on a
yearly basis by the state.
Eldridge suggested that the attorney's office could
remain in the county building, as it is at present, but the
district and justice court should be located in the same
facility.
"If Nephi City is going to continue to utilize the
court room, they should probably be willing to put in some
money," said Eldridge.
Robert Steele, commissioner, said that the county
might find that it would be as well to do all of the
building for the various courts and for the county attorney
office space at the same time.
The state court system thinks that court facilities
and court management and operations staff should take
maximum advantage of opportunities to collocate, to
cross-train, and to co-utilize personnel.
Space standards should be directed toward the
promotion of facility flexibility.
They also have as part of their planning the idea that
facility and operations planning should recognize and take
advantage of opportunities to economically combine
facilities and personnel and to share responsibilities and
expenses.
"There are three possibilities," said Cook. "One, we
build a courthouse for all of the courts and for the
attorney."
The second plan was that just the two courts be
included, the district court and the justice court, but that
the attorney's office stay where it is presently
located.
The third possibility, he said, was that only the
district court be relocated to a new building.
"If that is the decision, then we would not be
involved," said Cook. "We would have no responsibility. We
would finance construction but the state court system would
reimburse the county."
Eldridge said the problem with building new facilities
is the cost. It may take $2 million from the county to
relocate the attorney's office and the justice court.
"I don't know if the county has that kind of money,"
said Eldridge.
The AOC also wants facilities that are planned and
designed with the flexibility to implement mediation.
It is the also the objective of the Judicial System to
improve public access to the courts through the clustering
of important services at common locations.
Facilities should be planned and designed to enhance
public service and to minimize the number of locations to
which the public must go to accomplish court related
business. Additionally, this concept is intended to improve
the efficiency of court related services through closer
functional adjacencies.
"They would really like to build the courthouse on the
property here (behind the county building and the ambulance
and fire stations)," said Cook.
The continuing design process, from schematic design
through construction documents and the actual construction
of the facility will occupy a period of years rather than
months.
AOC will provide assistance throughout the
process.
The Judicial Council, through the AOC, reserves the
right to participate in the planning and the design of all
major renovation or new facility construction projects,
regardless of funding source.
The AOC's involvement in major renovation and new
facility construction commences with the earliest stages of
planning at the local level. This permits a common
understanding of the nature and scope of the project and
early communication regarding facility goals and design
guidelines.
The AOC will be involved in all key phases of facility
planning and will review and approve all master plans,
programs, schematic design, design development and
construction documents associated with renovation or new
construction projects.
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