County accepts offer from Oak Ridge
City will help fund Sessions Court to keep it in OR
The General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge will have a new home, thanks to a partnership between Anderson County and the City of Oak Ridge.
During the Anderson County Board of Commission meeting on Monday, April 17, Commission voted 16-0 to enter into an agreement with City of Oak Ridge that will pay the county $30,000 a year for a five-year period for courthouse operating expenses.
Oak Ridge City Council members approved — also unanimously — the prior week in a city council meeting to make an annual payment of $30,000 to the county over a five-year term. Oak Ridge officials and residents have long been pushing to keep the General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.
Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch was present at the Commission Meeting April 17, and informed Commissioners of Oak Ridge Council’s decision. Gooch told Commissioners the $30,000 could be used “for any purpose — rent, overhead contributions — anything.” Gooch reiterated he was committed to helping fund the General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge so it would stay in Oak Ridge.
“Oak Ridge has been very generous to make this offer. We’re fortunate Oak Ridge is willing to put a significant contribution towards this,” said Anderson County Commissioner Myron Iwanski (Dist. 8).
The agreement to have the City of Oak Ridge pay courthouse operating expenses hinged on whether county officials would agree to use the former Daniel Arthur Rehabilitation Center (DARC) on Emory Valley Drive in Oak Ridge as the new location for the Oak Ridge General Sessions Court Division II.
The current site of the General Sessions Division II Court is Oak Ridge Turnpike. Local businessman Tony Capiello owns the building on Oak Ridge Turnpike the county is currently paying $4500 a month in rent for to keep the General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge.
Commission also voted on Monday, April 17, to negotiate with the lowest bidder on renovations to DARC, a motion indicating officials have finalized their decision to keep the General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge once and for all.
Commissioners have considered a number of relocation options over the past several months: locating the courthouse to another site in Oak Ridge (to DARC or a two-story building on Badger Road), to Clinton to be near the General Sessions Division I Court, or to renew the 18-month lease with Capiello and keep it where it is in the Oak Ridge Utility District building.
Relocation expenses include the costs associated with renovating the building to accommodate a General Sessions Court.
According to county officials, the DARC building will have to be renovated to accommodate housing the General Sessions Division II Court.
What those renovation costs will be county officials are not yet certain, but plans are under way to determine what the cost is to renovate the DARC building and possible ways to trim down those costs.
At a special-called meeting on March 9, Commissioners reviewed with associates at Michael Brady Inc., a full-service architectural and engineering firm, a draft of what the projected costs would be to renovate DARC and were apprised that the projected costs would be $350,000 without interest.
Although Commissioners were, at that point in time, reviewing what the projected costs would be to move the courthouse to the DARC facility, it was evident county officials were not leaning towards renewing the lease with Capiello for another term.
“We had to extend the lease before and I hope that does not happen again,” reported Anderson County Law Director Jay Yeager in an email to Commissioners on March 14.
Yeager is one of the key officials involved in negotiating for the county a cost-effective solution for the DARC building’s renovations.
Yeager apprised Commissioners at the April 17 Commission meeting that bids on the DARC renovation project came in well above projected estimates, with the lowest bid coming in at more than $530,000.
Despite the estimated cost of the projected renovations coming in at a higher price than Commissioners originally expected, they are still viewing it as the most cost-effective solution yet.