GSA Administrator Denise Turner Roth GSA file photo
GSA Asks Congress for Money to Upgrade Federal Courthouses
Courts officers express gratitude for proposed projects they consider long overdue.
The General Services Administration this week announced a $947 million plan to build or repair eight federal courthouse projects that judiciary officials have long awaited.
The government’s landlord on April 18 sent congressional appropriations and authorizing committees the proposal, which includes only one project for which funding has already been enacted. The new construction will cost $787 million and the repairs and alterations $160 million.
“This investment in our federal courthouses will serve as a catalyst for economic development in these local communities, while addressing the space constraints and security challenges in these aging facilities,” said GSA Administrator Denise Turner Roth.
“This is a much needed and welcomed step in replacing unsafe, overcrowded and inefficiently designed courthouses,” said James Duff, director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. “We are grateful that Congress has appreciated that our judiciary-wide cost containment initiatives have saved money, and has also recognized our most serious needs.”
The new courthouses are planned for Nashville, Tenn.; Des Moines, Iowa; Greenville, S.C.; Anniston, Ala.; and San Antonio, Texas, GSA said. New courthouse annexes are planned in Toledo, Ohio; Charlotte, N.C.; and Savannah, Ga., along with renovations of the James M. Ashley and Thomas W.L. Ashley U.S. Courthouse in Toledo, the Charles R. Jonas Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Charlotte, and the Tomochichi U.S. Courthouse in Savannah.
“The majority of the funded projects have been on the Judiciary’s construction priority list for more than 15 years,” said Judge D. Brooks Smith, chair of the Judiciary’s Space and Facilities Committee. “Working with the GSA, we have planned appropriate facilities that satisfy the housing and security needs of these courts in an innovative and cost-efficient manner.”
The projects will proceed in accordance with the U.S. Courts Design Guide, will meet the 10-year space needs of the court and court-related agencies, and be consistent with the application of courtroom sharing policies, the agency said.
The spending plan includes $29.5 million for continued feasibility studies and preparation work for Judiciary housing needs in Harrisburg, Pa.
Congress must give its okay for the package, except in the case of the one pre-funded project, the Nashville Federal Courthouse.