Hollister council members Monday approved selling the Fremont School property to San Benito County for $1.37 million, clearing the way for a new county courthouse at the 335 West St. site.
Council members, seated as the Hollister Redevelopment Agency Board, approved the agreement to sell the site to the county so that San Benito officials can transfer it to the state, City Attorney Stephanie Atigh said.
The state is funding the new courthouse's construction at more than $30 million. A local committee last year had recommended the downtown site to the state's Administrative Office of the Courts while noting the Flynn Road property as a mandated alternative.
After state officials subsequently had announced early this year they would move ahead on the more rural location, due to seismic concerns at the old school property, local leaders lobbied and revived momentum for the downtown site on the condition that the RDA fund any testing to ensure it's a safe site. City and business leaders, meanwhile, had pushed for the school location to keep the related foot traffic downtown.
"This is the site that was preferred overwhelmingly by the community of San Benito County," said Atigh.
Local officials are relieved that the recent testing has cleared the Fremont School site of any seismic concerns. City Manager Clint Quilter said it's a boost for potential economic growth.
"The city interest is from an economic development health of the downtown aspect," said Quilter.
The city manager pointed out that funds from the sale likely will be used to move departments located on Park Hill - he described planners and others there as being in "the basement" - with better downtown quarters.
Once the sale goes through, the county would provide the state with a fee title to the property, and the state would then fund the courthouse construction.
Court Executive Officer Gil Solorio has said the new building would be about 33,000 square feet, cost $32 million and get finished in about five years.
The RDA and the county have negotiated a "Real Property Acquisition Agreement," according to city documents, which sets forth the details of the property's conveyance and contains requirements for the RDA. Among them are the following:
- Escrow must close no later than Feb. 1, 2010.
- Existing structures on the property must be demolished and hazardous materials abated before the close of escrow.
- Parking along the streets abutting the property site must be removed.
The agreement also stipulates that the RDA retains the right to "repurchase the property from the county for the original price if for some reason the construction of the courthouse is not initiated within five years from the close of escrow."
Aside from location benefits, there's a general consensus that safety enhancements at a new courthouse are of particular importance.
"The state is very good about working with sheriffs on new facilities to ensure safe transport and holding of inmates during the time they are in the courthouse," Sheriff Curtis Hill said, adding that the new facility would contain modern "temporary holding units" for inmates who often wait for hours before their court appearances.
Hill also noted that the new courthouse is set to have safety features that are similar to courthouses in other counties with metal detectors, controlled entrances and exits, and "perimeter security employees."
Atigh agrees that better security will be a major benefit of the new courthouse.
"All too often you hear of judges, witnesses, jurors and so on being killed in court," said the city attorney. "This will allow for a much safer San Benito courthouse where that sort of thing is far less likely to happen."
Jeff Gatlin Jeff Gatlin is a staff writer at The Hollister Free Lance. You can call him at (831) 637-5566 or send him an email.
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