Courthouse
renovations nearly complete
By Bill Donovan
Staff Writer
GALLUP — County officials said Monday they are nearly
ready to move into the renovated old courthouse.
County spokesman Doug Decker said officials plan to do a walk through
on Thursday to check on most of the renovation of the old county courthouse,
which is part
of the $12 million project that includes a new courthouse.
The new courthouse is finished but work crews have been repairing the inside
and outside of the old courthouse for the past several months.
Decker said the walk through will include the basement, second and third floors.
The first floor, which will be offices for the District Attorney, is not expected
to be ready until mid-December.
The basement will provide space for storage and the county's law library. The
second floor will continue to be a courtroom and the third floor will be used
by the county's information/technology office as well as the GIS mapping department.
If the walk through goes well and no major improvements are needed, Decker
said people should be able to start moving into the renovated spaces by the
end of
this week or early next week.
Decker said State District Court Judge Grant Foutz has opted to use the old
courtroom instead of one of the two courtrooms in the new building.
He has indicated to county officials that he would like to move back to the
old building as soon as possible.
Foutz said Monday that he wants to move back to the old courtroom as soon as
they say it is ready and as soon as the new furniture that has been ordered
arrives.
The furniture was ordered a couple of weeks ago and should be in within the
next week or two, he said.
Foutz has made it clear he much prefers working out of the old courtroom, which
was constructed in the 1930s.
"I just like it over there," he said, adding that he enjoys the atmosphere,
the paintings on the wall and the size of the courtroom.
"It's a great place to conduct a trial," he said.
The county would also like the attorneys and staff working for the District
Attorney's Office to move over as soon as possible so some decision can be
reached on what
to do with the building across from the old post office on Second Street.
The building is owned by the county, and Decker said no decision has been made
as yet whether to lease it or sell it.
If some state agency wants to lease the building, Decker said county officials
would be willing to discuss the possibility.
|
Tuesday
November 30, 2004
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Deaths
|
