Build new District Courthouse on old library site

Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2008

Build new District Courthouse on old library site — we need it

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We wish to bring an important issue to the attention of the citizens of Montgomery County. For nine years a new District Court building has been planned at the site of the old library in Rockville. We are concerned that a last-minute effort to relocate the new courthouse to a different location will cost this community a much-needed facility.

The current District Courthouse is obsolete and antiquated. The county’s population of is approaching one million, and the caseloads for the county courts have increased exponentially. We as a community need adequate facilities for the adjudication of our civil and criminal cases. Both economics and efficiency would be well served by building the new Rockville District Courthouse at the planned library site. The current site is directly across the street from the existing District Courthouse, and is in close proximity to the Circuit Court, the State’s Attorney’s Office, the public defender and the sheriff.

The state has already purchased the land, drafted architectural designs and expended millions of dollars of taxpayer money on the library location. All of that could be lost if we switch sites. Even worse, if we pass up this opportunity to build a new courthouse at the library location, we will lose our courthouse! Many other counties are in need of court buildings, and are watching closely what is happening here. If we change locations there will be delays. The line will then re-form, and we will go to the end. The next opportunity to have a new District Courthouse will be 10 to 20 years away, and several million dollars expended on site specific design will have been wasted.

Don’t let Montgomery County lose our new courthouse. People should contact their elected leaders and urge them to support building the new District Courthouse on the old library site.

We urge all involved to work as hard as we can to have the court built as soon as possible. This may be our only chance.

David L. Cahoon, former Circuit Court administrative judge who oversaw the design and construction of the current court complex in 1975-84.

John J. McCarthy, county state’s attorney

Paul B. DeWolfe, county district public defender

Raymond M. Kight, county sheriff

Loretta Knight, Circuit Court clerk

Mary Ellen Flynn, Bar Association of Montgomery County president

Albert D. Brault, Bar Association of Montgomery County past-president