County Reconsiders Courthouse Plans

TRENTON, N.J. — Rising construction costs have forced Mercer County officials to decide between rebuilding and renovating the 1904 criminal courthouse — the latest development in a decade-long county dilemma.

Officials are concerned that a new structure would cost significantly more than the $60 million estimate calculated in 2004, due to the increasing cost of materials.

Beset by mold, vermin, asbestos, leaky ceilings and poor ventilation, the existing building poses health and safety risks to criminal court staff and maintenance workers, according to reports. A broken step in the main stairway caused a maintenance worker to fall into a hole in 2003.

Freeholders are in favor of renovation but fear that the cost of matching new materials to existing ones could make restoration the more expensive option.

U.S. Superior Court Judge Linda R. Feinberg has issued county officials an ultimatum, stating that unless the county makes headway on construction by September 2006, arbitration procedures will commence.

The county plans to ask freeholders to hire a consultant to develop a recommendation for either building a new courthouse or renovating the existing one.