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<br />R-08-28 <br /> <br />A REVISED RESOLUTION CONCERNING THE LOCATION OF A NEW CIRCUIT <br />COURT COURTHOUSE FOR THE CITY OF PORTSMOUTH. <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Portsmouth, Virginia (the "City Council") <br />did on February 27,2007 adopt Resolution No. R-07-09 concerning the need for a new Circuit <br />Court Courthouse; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, said Resolution, in addition to discussing the reasons why a new Circuit <br />Court Courthouse is needed, did also designate the preferred location as being certain property <br />located generally across Crawford Street from Portsmouth City Hall (herein, the "Initial New <br />Courthouse Proposal,"); and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the City Council is strongly committed to providing all of the City courts <br />with safe and secure facilities that pose no danger to the health, welfare, and safety of the judges, <br />court employees or the public and to maintaining them in good repair; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, since that time the City has moved forward in good faith with the design of <br />a new Circuit Court Courthouse pursuant to the Initial New Courthouse Proposal, and its efforts <br />have included retaining a respected architectural firm specializing in courthouse design, <br />developing a design and plan, and arranging for participation of all stakeholders in the design <br />process; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the preliminary construction cost estimates for the Initial New Courthouse <br />Proposal indicate that construction cost is projected to be in the approximate amount of <br />$45,000,000, more or less; and <br /> <br />\VHEREAS, this sum would place significant and undue strain on the municipal budget. <br />Ur.less taxes are raised, the Initial New Courthouse Proposal would jeopardize the City's ability <br />to meet other pressing capital and operating needs in areas that include public safety, education, <br />and community quality; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, taxes in Portsmouth are already at unacceptably high levels and should not <br />be raised any further; and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the state of the national economy has changed significantly from the time of <br />adoption of Resolution No. R-07-09 in 2007, and the current state of the national economy <br />makes it prudent for all levels of government to carefully consider all responsible means for <br />cutting government expenditures; and <br /> <br />\VHEREAS, an alternate and less expensive plan for a new Circuit Court Courthouse has <br />now been developed and presented to City Council (the "Alternate Courthouse Plan"). It <br />i ll\'olves ~cq uisition of an existing building and associated real property in the nearby PortCentre <br />COlTImerct: Park (the "PortCentre One Building") and converting it to courthouse use; and <br />