Tuolomne County, New Sonora Courthouse

NOTICE: Architectural design of this project is delayed until fiscal year 2014–2015, unless construction funds are restored in the coming fiscal year’s Budget Act. More information on the Judicial Council’s February 26, 2013 decision.

Facts
In anticipation of additional cost-cutting measures, all facts are subject to change. More information

Courtrooms: 5
Square footage: 65,569
Current authorized budget: $69,236,000
Estimated construction costs per square foot are being updated
Current status: Architectural design; delayed until funding is available
Current expected completion: TBD

Historical Documents
Feasibility Report

The Superior Court of California, County of Tuolumne is located in the county seat, Sonora, in three buildings located two blocks apart. The three-story Historic Courthouse at 41 West Yaney Street houses three courtrooms. Built in 1898, the courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. The nearby Washington Street Branch houses two courtrooms. The Jury Assembly Room is in a leased building across the street from the Washington Street Branch.

These facilities are overcrowded, physically deficient, and significantly lacking in security features to the current standards. For example, all of these facilities lack holding cells for in-custody defendants. Also, separation of court facilities in three buildings creates operational inefficiencies. For example, court records are maintained in the Historic Courthouse, but must be hand-carried between the other two facilities.

The proposed project would consolidate operations from these three buildings into a modern, secure courthouse for centralized criminal, civil, traffic, juvenile, and probate proceedings. It would also enable the court to expand basic services it currently cannot provide due to space restrictions: appropriately-sized jury assembly and deliberation rooms located within the courthouse, a self-help center, a children's waiting room, family court mediation, attorney interview/witness waiting rooms, and secure circulation for court staff and visitors, as well as in-custody holding.

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Compliance

The AOC proposes to acquire a parcel in the County of Tuolumne’s Law and Justice Center in Sonora. The County completed an environmental impact report (EIR) for the Law and Justice Center in 2009. The AOC has prepared an addendum to the EIR to comply with requirements of CEQA. The addendum discloses and evaluates the courthouse project’s changes and the environmental impacts of those changes.

More Information

Deadline and contact for comments

Interested parties who wish to submit comments must do so no later than 5 pm on October 24, 2011. You may submit comments by mail, e-mail, or fax.

Mr. Jerome Ripperda
Administrative Office of the Courts
Office of Court Construction and Management
2860 Gateway Oaks, Suite 400
Sacramento, CA 95833-3509
Fax: 916-263-8140
Jerry.Ripperda@jud.ca.gov

Architecture/Engineering Firm	Lionakis
Construction Manager at Risk	To be selected, schedule TBD
Subcontractor Bidding	Schedule TBD

News Releases
Further Cuts to Court Construction (7/13/12)
Site Finalized (4/11/12)
Preferred Site Approved (5/13/11)
Funding Authorization (11/16/09)