The Meaning of America

The County recently sent a notice to the legal community thanking us for our patience

as they renovate the ill-conceived, crumbling , twice flooded, disaster prone, aptly-named Criminal Justice Center.(CJC)

Previously, Commissioners Court voted to renovate the CJC , and the underground jury assembly room. On top of this, Commissioners voted to spend $105 million on an ill-timed completely unneeded Astrodome makeover.

We have a new Commissioners Court. This new Court needs to reconsider the incorrect decisions made by its predecessors.

Commissioners should Stop renovating what cannot be renovated. Tear down the CJC and build a new Criminal Courthouse that is designed for this century. If the CJC is not torn down, it will flood again and again.

No one in Houston has a basement. There is good reason for that.Commissioners need to Stop any plan to renovate the twice flooded underground jury assembly room. If renovated, it too will flood again. They need to build it above ground. If they want to connect it to the courts they can use cross-over bridges like we see all over downtown.

Commissioners need to scrap the $105 million Astrodome renovation. We do not have the luxury for this now. That money needs to be reallocated toward building a new criminal courthouse.

Finally, all of this should be done without delay. The notion that the displaced legal community is “patient” is wrong. The legal community is worn out and looking to Commissioners Court to fix and not magnify the mistakes of the past.

Robb Fickman

Houston