Drafter
Clerk 08/25/2006
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AN ORDINANCE making an appropriation of $375,000 to the building repair and replacement fund for the design of a capital improvement project to renovate and reopen the south entrance to the King County Courthouse and design for the potential closure of the east and west entrances of the courthouse.
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BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings.
A. Historically, the primary entrance to the courthouse was on the south side of the building in the area that currently functions as the loading dock to the courthouse, adjacent to City Hall park.
B. The city of Seattle is currently undertaking a project titled "City Hall Park Improvement Project" with the goal of transforming City Hall park into an attractive gateway to downtown Seattle.
C. It is a common goal of all branches of King County government using the courthouse and the city of Seattle to improve the safety, cleanliness, and usefulness of City Hall park. The reopening of the courthouse south entrance supports the objectives for City Hall park.
D. Reopening of the south entrance would physically integrate the downtown King County campus, encouraging way-finding between the courthouse, new county office building, King County administration building and the Yesler building.
E. King County has a policy that establishes a limit on the use of current expense fund revenues for debt service. This policy was formally adopted in Motion 11196, approved by the council on May 7, 2001, and requires that annual debt service payments shall not exceed five percent of the current expense fund's net revenue available for debt service.
F. The reopened south entrance would require both security staffing and equipment. The potential closure of the east and west entrances may mitigate or offset these security costs, and could potentially fund the debt service for reopening the south entrance. A detailed security staffing and operations evaluatio...
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