A new courthouse

Benton County makes progress on downtown plan

Growth in government isn’t always viewed as a good thing, but it’s not always a bad thing. When the growth is directly tied to the quality of services government delivers to taxpayers, an argument can be made that avoiding expansion is precisely the opposite of serving the people’s interests.

The shelf life of Benton County’s dispersed courts system ran past its expiration date years ago, and when it comes to a new courts facility, county leaders have spent years weighing the pros and the cons and the cons and the pros and the pros and … well, you get the point. Building a modern courts facility to serve the 21st century demands of the judicial system has waited long enough.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., housed in a home office it first occupied in 1971, recognizes there comes a time when old facilities are more of a burden than a benefit. Last week, the retail giant announced plans for a new headquarters on 350 acres in the heart of Bentonville.

Benton County’s courts are still operating in a 1928 courthouse and in a former post office completed in 1935, among other spaces. Most of the spaces, according to county consultants, are antiquated facilities that have been retrofitted to serve as long as they have.

Can Benton County get by without new courts facilities? Sure, like a handyman can get by using a hand saw rather than a power saw. The job gets done, but not in the most efficient and effective way.

County Judge Barry Moehring and justices of the peace on the Quorum Court have been making progress lately on a courts facility concept, having determined earlier this year to set construction at the corner of Second and B streets downtown. That’s just east of a courthouse annex in the town’s old post office and just north of the Historic Benton County Courthouse.

Last week, Moehring told justices of the peace the concepts he’s seen would feature a four- to five-story building of 80,000 to 90,000 square feet. Most critically, such a building would provide space for eight courtrooms and judges chambers as well as support space for county staff needed to operate the courts. The potential price tag is expected be $20 million to $25 million.

Historic preservation advocates no doubt breathed a slight sigh of relief as Moehring also said he believed such a facility would not necessitate demolition of the old post office building now used by Judge Brad Karren on the same block. That doesn’t mean the building’s survival is secured, but it suggests the county can get what it needs while Karren continues to preside over court proceedings as construction goes on. After that, the county would have to determine what to do with the old post office, as Karren’s court would move into the new facility.

It’s good news that Moehring is pressing forward with plans to consolidate all the courts — minus the juvenile court facility — into one building that can be designed to be more secure and efficient. These days, a court system needs serious security, from protected entrances to segmentation of the different people involved in judicial proceeds. A courts building should contribute to that security rather than hinder it.

Other than a few voices, we’ve heard no hue and cry about preserving the old post office, but it’s reasonable to take steps that ensure any conflicts about its future do not become an obstacle to advancing the courts plan. In due time, the county and community can determine how to proceed and whether preservation is the best option for downtown Bentonville.

Come October, county residents can expect intensified discussions about what no doubt matters a great deal to them — how this project might be paid for. Can the county build it without raising taxes? Should it? Should voters be asked to authorize long-term debt, regardless of whether a tax increase is pursued?

After all these years, more details will come into focus in the next weeks and months. Those details will impact how much is spent and how it impacts taxpayers. Quorum Courts don’t get a lot of attention in their dayto-day activities, but this is the kind of project that should attract it so that constituents can provide feedback.