Stalled Penn. Courthouse Nets $27 Million From Obama Budget

LANCASTER, Penn. — Long-standing efforts to construct a federal courthouse in Lancaster gained momentum after President Obama included $27 million for the project in his budget proposal for 2010.

The project, which has the backing of the U.S. Judicial Conference, must also gain final congressional approval before it can proceed.

A committee composed of judges and federal administrators approved initial plans for the courthouse in September 2008.

The General Services Administration recently launched the site selection process to evaluate and identify the most suitable location for the new courthouse. GSA officials are also working with representatives of the district court to assess judicial needs and establish space requirements.

Following completion of the site selection process, which will take a minimum of several months, the GSA will quickly move to the planning and design phase, officials say.

Development of a new federal facility in Lancaster will likely follow the satellite courthouse model, which is designed to deliver a smaller capacity facility with several courtrooms. The courthouse in nearby Reading incorporates one bankruptcy and two district courtrooms.

However, the allocation of $27 million in federal funding does not guarantee groundbreaking is imminent, officials say.

In recent years, similar federal courthouse projects stalled during the site selection phase as local and federal officials battled over preferred locations.

In Harrisburg, Penn., where the existing 1960s-era federal building and courthouse does not meet federal security and expansion requirements, the GSA’s plans to construct a new stand-alone courthouse were delayed by a dispute between municipal leaders and GSA officials over its location. The project is delayed until 2011 at the earliest, according to recent GSA estimates.

Once completed, the new courthouse in Harrisburg will incorporate eight courtrooms and offices of the U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshals, U.S. Probation and Pre-Trial Services, and the Office of the U.S. Trustee.