By Matt Murphy, mmurphy@lowellsun.com
BOSTON -- The economic downturn has forced the state to delay the start of construction of the new judicial center in Lowell, pushing back the completion date by about a year and a half and forcing local business owners to wait on what is expected to be a centerpiece of the city's downtown revitalization project.
The $175 million courthouse, scheduled to be built on a four-acre site at the end of Jackson Street, is now projected to open its doors sometime in early 2015, with construction more than two years away, according to state officials.
Work will continue on the site, however. The vacant, dilapidated buildings that once stood in plain sight from the Lord Overpass have already been demolished. The state will continue efforts over the next year to remove contaminated soil from the property and relocate utilities.
The 245,000-square-foot facility will house five court departments, including superior, district, housing, juvenile and probate and family court. It is expected to not only create construction jobs for the region, but also lure lawyers and other professionals downtown in what could be a boon for downtown businesses.
"It's unfortunate, but it's the fiscal reality we find ourselves in," said state Sen. Steve Panagiotakos, D-Lowell. "Fortunately, the project has not been mothballed."
Panagiotakos met yesterday at the Statehouse with officials from the Division of Capital Asset Management to discuss the revised timeline for the judicial center.
Originally scheduled to be completed by 2013, state officials now plan to break ground sometime in the summer of 2013, with construction expected to take 30 months.
The poor economy has forced the state to scale back its capital-building plan, limiting the amount of financial resources at the state level to fully invest in finishing the design of the courthouse and preparing for construction. Over the past two years, Gov. Deval Patrick's administration has reduced the state's bond cap by $1.1 billion to ensure its ability to afford debt payments.
In fiscal 2010, the state borrowed $111.8 million to fund ongoing court and correctional-facility projects, including new court construction projects in Fall River, Salem, Taunton and Lowell. The cap on borrowing for those projects will be reduced to $69 million in fiscal 2011, according to the state's five-year capital plan. The plan only calls for another $8 million in other resources to be spent on the capital projects.
With negotiations to bring a new judicial center to Lowell crawling along for the better part of the last decade, delays are nothing new to this project. Once slated to be built on Davidson Street, local and state officials once had to find an entirely new site for the judicial center over fears the first location was too susceptible to flooding.
In the summer of 2008, the deal to make the judicial center the centerpiece of the Hamilton Canal District was finalized when the state agreed to purchase the four-acre Jackson Street property from the city for $3.8 million.
Local lawmakers who have championed the courthouse found reason yesterday to be optimistic despite news of the delay.
"I would have liked to have it done earlier, but they have no doubt it's going to be constructed, so you have to keep your eye on the prize," said state Rep. Kevin Murphy, D-Lowell.
State Rep. Tom Golden, D-Lowell, took a similar message from yesterday briefing.
"I don't see it as a negative in this atmosphere," he said. "We're still moving forward."
This story appeared in the Lowell Sun on Thursday, March 11, 2010.