Ground is broken for court complex in Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH

Chief Circuit Judge James C. Hawks' chambers flood so often that he switched to rugs after his carpet was replaced twice this past year.

Leaks are just one of the problems at Portsmouth's aging courthouse. Judges, concerned with the public's safety and their own, have been pushing for a fix since the 1990s.

On Wednesday, Hawks joined other judges, courts staff and city officials to break ground for the Portsmouth Judicial Center, a $78 million courts complex that is scheduled to be finished in September 2012. Workers will transform and expand the existing Port Centre One building south of Interstate 264.

"It's an exciting time for those who have toiled in the old facility, and long overdue," Commonwealth's Attorney Earle Mobley said.

HBA, the architectural firm on the project, recently finished nine months of design work. Construction already has begun and is on schedule, said developer Bob Williams, who owns the Port Centre building.

Crews will strip the existing building until only steel and concrete are left, Williams said. Everything else that is built in its place will be new, he said.

When the work is finished, the city will have a complex with 12 courtrooms and space for its Circuit Court, General District Court, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. The commonwealth's attorney and sheriff's office also will move there.

"It's been a long time coming," Sheriff Bill Watson said. "The judges should have had this years ago."

In 2008, the city's Circuit Court judges filed a suit to force the City Council to replace or repair the current court complex. Concerns included asbestos, leaking roofs and the fact that inmates must use the same corridors as the public and judges.

That lawsuit is still pending, but Hawks said he didn't expect any further action on it. It will be dismissed upon completion of the new complex, he said.

"I would expect everything to go smoothly now," Hawks said.

The Port Centre building housed several companies, including a couple of substantial employers that had to relocate.

The city's Economic Development Authority recently approved a $100,000 grant to keep engineering firm CDI Marine Company in town. CDI will be moving more than 90 employees to a site on Victory Boulevard, said Vince Webb, a company spokesman.

Williams said about half of the people working out of the Port Centre site will be moved to CDI locations outside Portsmouth.

Woolpert, another large employer, relocated to Chesapeake.

Portsmouth Economic Development Director Patrick Small said he put together "an aggressive" package to try to keep the firm in town.

The firm employs 45 people in Chesapeake, said Don Cole, a Woolpert business development manager.

The other companies that relocated, including nTelos and End to End, kept their employees in Portsmouth, Williams said.

City officials hope the new courts center will spur office buildings nearby.

It also will clear real estate near the waterfront for redevelopment when the current courts complex is demolished.