Groundbreaking Ceremony Scheduled Feb. 21 for New Banning Justice Center
The event is scheduled 10:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday Feb. 21, in Banning City Council chambers, 99 E. Ramsey St., and at East Ramsey and Martin Street.
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A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Superior Court of Riverside County courthouse in Banning is scheduled Feb. 21, the Judicial Council of California announced Tuesday.
The event is scheduled 10:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday Feb. 21, in Banning City Council chambers, 99 E. Ramsey St., and on the northeast corner of East Ramsey and Martin Street.
Free parking is available across the police department in the old San Gorgonio Inn lot, and the public is invited to attend.
The ceremony will be broadcast locally on Time Warner channel 10 and Verizon Fios channel 29 and streamed live from the City of Banning website at http://banning.granicus.com/, a judicial council spokeswoman said.
The ceremony will include remarks by Presiding Judge Sherrill Ellsworth, Assistant Presiding Judge Mark Cope, and Court Executive Officer Sherri R. Carter of the Superior Court of Riverside County, Banning Mayor Don Robinson, Marion Ashley, Riverside County Board of Supervisors, and Ron Overholt, Interim Administrative Director of the Courts.
The total estimated project cost for the six-courtroom, 68,399-square-foot Banning Justice Center is $63.2 million, which includes land acquisition, architectural design, construction, and other costs, Teresa Ruano, of the Judicial Council of California - Administrative Office of the Courts, said in a phone interview Tuesday.
Estimated project costs financed by lease revenue bonds are $54.5 million, Ruano said.
Land acquisition and architectural design costs have already been paid for by the state courts, Ruano said in October.
The new courthouse will replace the current, overcrowded Banning Courthouse, Ruano said. Completion of the poroject is hoped for by Fall 2013.
The new Justice Center is considered a catalyst and complement for other development in downtown Banning, including the planned Village at Paseo San Gorgonio.
The project is funded by revenues from within the judicial branch, with no impact on the state’s General Fund, according to the Judicial Council, the policy-making body for California courts. Lease payments that repay the bonds will be supported by dedicated court filing fees, surcharges, and criminal penalties.
toni pomeroy
11:48 am on Saturday, February 11, 2012
I'm glad that banning can afford to build $14+ million police station & now a court house that will cost $54.5 million. banning must be doing so well even though when you drive down the streets all you see are a bunch of empty buildings. OH! & the jobs that are busting at the seams for the people of banning to just pick & choose from. i use to work at Deutch Co. that was here for many years, which has closed its doors & moved what jobs they had to hemet. i haven't been able to find work close enough to Banning to ride a bike or walk. and i have been out of work for almost 4 yrs. i've even been to the fast food restaurants to find work and they arent hiring either. But i guess Banning City Counsel thinks it fine to spend money to build a new police station & court house instead of thinking of ways to bring jobs to Banning area. i guess they figure Banning needs more Cops here to arrest all the people who have lost their jobs, homes & need to find ways to feed their families. I guess as long as the MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL are happy & have jobs then everything is fine in Banning. I think Banning should dry up & become a part of Beaumont. Banning already has a great start! There's really no businesses here, so how hard would it be? Either that or the mayor & city council should be voted out & new blood put in. maybe somebody who actually cares about Banning. I've been a homeower in Banning for almost 10 yrs & since i bought my home, Banning has gone down hill. It's really sad!!