Drafter
Clerk 08/25/2006
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AN ORDINANCE making an appropriation of $375,000 to the building repair and replacement fund for the design of a capital improvement project to renovate and reopen the south entrance to the King County Courthouse and design for the potential closure of the east and west entrances of the courthouse.
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BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings.
A. Historically, the primary entrance to the courthouse was on the south side of the building in the area that currently functions as the loading dock to the courthouse, adjacent to City Hall park.
B. The city of Seattle is currently undertaking a project titled "City Hall Park Improvement Project" with the goal of transforming City Hall park into an attractive gateway to downtown Seattle.
C. It is a common goal of all branches of King County government using the courthouse and the city of Seattle to improve the safety, cleanliness, and usefulness of City Hall park. The reopening of the courthouse south entrance supports the objectives for City Hall park.
D. Reopening of the south entrance would physically integrate the downtown King County campus, encouraging way-finding between the courthouse, new county office building, King County administration building and the Yesler building.
E. King County has a policy that establishes a limit on the use of current expense fund revenues for debt service. This policy was formally adopted in Motion 11196, approved by the council on May 7, 2001, and requires that annual debt service payments shall not exceed five percent of the current expense fund's net revenue available for debt service.
F. The reopened south entrance would require both security staffing and equipment. The potential closure of the east and west entrances may mitigate or offset these security costs, and could potentially fund the debt service for reopening the south entrance. A detailed security staffing and operations evaluation is needed to determine final costs and savings opportunities.
G. The use by the public of the reopened south entrance will be affected by whether one or both of the east and west entrances are closed. A study of public use and the impacts to public access of both the reopened south entrance and the potential closure of the east and west entrances is needed.
H. The reopening of the south entrance and the potential closure of the east and west entrances would impact all branches of King County government, including the elected officials and staff of the King County sheriff, the King County council, superior court, district court and the prosecuting attorney as well as jurors and the general public. Outreach and consultation with all of these groups and the public is needed prior to any final decision about reopening the south entrance and closing the east and west entrances.
I. While immediate funding of design work is prudent and appropriate, King County should not proceed to construction of the south entrance until a detailed study of the identified issues of funding, debt capacity, security and operational impacts and access to the courthouse by all branches of King County government and their employees, jurors and the general public is concluded and adopted by the council.
SECTION 2. Ordinance 15333, Section 114, as amended, is hereby amended by adding thereto and inserting therein the following:
From several capital improvement project funds there is hereby appropriated and authorized to be disbursed the following amounts for the specific projects identified in
Attachment A to this ordinance.
Fund Fund Name Amount
3951 BLDB REPAIR/REPL SUBFUND $375,000