After four and a half years of construction hiccups, contractor lawsuits and going millions of dollars over budget, the new Morgan Hill Courthouse is scheduled to open on April 6, 2009. The state-of-the-art, two story, six-courtroom courthouse cost approximately $50 million, and was a collaborative effort between the Superior Court of California, the County of Santa Clara and the City of Morgan Hill.
The facility is South County’s second attempt at building a court structure. The first $7 million Morgan Hill court building had to be abandoned a decade ago, after a roof leak caused and extensive infestation of deadly mold.
The South County Court is currently housed in a mass of temporary portable buildings located in San Martin. The San Martin court facility, infamous for its shoddy layout and problems with rats and pests, will close permanently when the Morgan Hill Courthouse opens.
Morgan Hill residents and businesses hope that because the new courthouse is located at 301 Diana Ave, right across the train tracks from downtown Morgan Hill, it will draw more people to go shopping and dining on the downtown retail strip. The new courthouse’s location was an essential facture in Morgan Hill’s plans for expanding and developing downtown Morgan Hill.
The court facility will provide closer access to legal services for South County residents, who until now still had to travel to San Jose to take care of may of their court needs.
The new Morgan Hill Courthouse will deal with criminal, civil, small claims and traffic cases, and will house offices for probation workers, district attorneys and public defenders. The building also has a jail in the basement.
Click here to see a press release about the new Morgan Hill Courthouse
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