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Wednesday, August 31, 2005
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Ryan quits panel in dispute over judicial center
Senior Reporter Crow Wing County Attorney Don Ryan has resigned his position on the county's building committee after a dispute about the construction of the Crow Wing County Judicial Center.
The dispute arose between the county officials in regard to how many courtrooms will be finished when the Crow Wing County Judicial Center opens in 2006.
Ryan resigned his position on the county's building committee and core planning group. Ryan said while there will be those who'll think he's taken his ball and gone home because the plan he favored changed, the reason behind his resignation is based on principle.
At issue is a county board vote to fully construct four courtrooms and leave two others and two judges' chambers as shells that can be fully equipped later. Ryan said he was left with the understanding only one courtroom would be left unfinished in the base bid, giving the county five courtrooms.
Ryan served as chairman for the Judicial Center task force. At the time the bids went out, Ryan said he had several homicide cases pending or in trial so he was unable to follow the process as closely as before.
Ryan said he agreed leaving a sixth courtroom for later and deferring that expense now made sense. Four to six weeks ago when going through the furniture layouts, Ryan said he was surprised to learn that two courtrooms not one, a hearing room, four of eight judges' chambers and one jury room on the third floor would be left as shells. Ryan said he doesn't question the county board's authority to make the decisions, but he wondered why the task force was not consulted when the changes were made.
To add to the consternation, Ryan said a law clerk's office is being completed to serve the four judges whose chambers are not being finished.
Ryan said he has not gotten a straight answer to his questions of how and why this happened and who made the decision.
"Nobody can tell me why," Ryan said. "Someone has the answers, but no one will tell them to you. I just think it's frustrating. ... I think the citizens are entitled to those answers."
County Administrator Peter Herlofsky Jr. and County Board Chairman Gary Walters said the problem was miscommunication.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding on how many courtrooms were going to be finished by the base bid," Herlofsky said.
Herlofsky said the county board took the base bid for four courtrooms and that is what the plans showed. He said recently it was brought to the board's attention that Ryan thought five courtrooms would be finished. He estimated it would cost about $263,000 to complete a courtroom and judges' chambers. To add a finished courtroom now is expected to cost about 10 percent more than if the job had been included in the bid.
Herlofsky said part of that increase is coming from the rising cost of gas, oil and cement. Bids for a parking lot recently came in at $200,000 more than the county expected. Herlofsky said the county is looking at options.
"I don't think anyone dropped the ball," Walters said. "I think it was a miscommunication."
Walters said he does not have all the answers yet, particularly to the issue of the clerk's office going in where judges' chambers were not being finished. And Walters said they are looking at options to complete the fifth courtroom. He was not convinced it would cost more money now than if it would have been part of the original bid.
"We have people working on it and we'll get the best solution without asking for any more money from the taxpayers."
RENEE RICHARDSON can be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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