The addition of Division 7 of the Court System to the existing Justice Center, and resultant move of Justice Court Precinct 1 facilities to Historic Courthouse displaces the Public Defender's office from the current location. The County does not have a suitable location for a permanent relocation of the Public Defender's office, and the Justice Center and Historic Courthouse will be at maximum capacity after these moves are complete, driving the need to establish facilities space for future growth. Additionally, parking is limited in this area currently and will become less available with the addition of Division 7. Judges have expressed concern about parking in the unsecured, public parking area and have requested a secure parking environment for their vehicles. Creation of the Justice Complex would require demolition of the buildings on County properties at 201 and 217 S. 2nd Avenue (Legal Defender offices and "Camarena Law Offices"), including abandonment of a portion of City ROW for S. 2nd Avenue and W. 2nd Street to allow for construction of new Justice Complex facilities for Legal Defender, Public Defender and Courts. The project would also include underground, secure parking for judges with an underground tunnel connecting to the Historic Courthouse, an interconnecting underground tunnel for future inmate transport to courts, construction of a new multi-level parking facility east of Adult Detention, and grounds/pedestrian walkways between combined facilities. The property at 217 S. 2nd Avenue was purchased with the purpose of providing space for future expansion of the Justice Complex. The proximity to existing Justice facilities and Detention make this an ideal setting for such an expansion. Justification/Operational Impact: Future growth in Yuma County will precipitate the creation of a Justice Complex to facilitate operational efficiencies and address security concerns. Fiscal Years 2024 -2028 *Project information has been obtained through a public capital improvement plan (CIP). A CIP is a financial schedule for short- and long-range projects which is updated regularly. Information listed in the CIP often evolves based on funding availability and the project details, including timeline and value, are subject to change. The content management team will continue to pursue additional details as they become available.
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