A subcommittee of the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) held its third of four weekly meetings today regarding the current project plan of renovating the Thurston County Courthouse Campus. The subcommittee discussed the various space needs for the courthouse.

At today’s meeting, District and Superior Court provided an update on their current space needs and addressed the amount of courtrooms needed to manage the increasing caseloads. The courthouse has reached its capacity, and as the county has grown, those courts, offices and departments have outgrown the current space available. The courthouse was built in the 1970s, when Thurston County’s population was about half its current size. The campus is more than 15 years past its life expectancy. 

While the Chandler Court Courtroom has alleviated some case load needs, it is not enough to manage the needs of the courts. District Court expressed five courtrooms would enhance the court system’s ability to manage caseloads. 

The subcommittee convened an executive session to consider the selection of a site or the acquisition of real estate by lease or purchase when public knowledge regarding such consideration would cause a likelihood of increased price. No decisions were made. 

The subcommittee will meet once more in two weeks, Friday July 26, at 3:00 p.m. at 3000 Pacific Ave SE, Room 110, Olympia. All meetings are open to the public and will be recorded by Zoom. 

To stay up-to-date on the Courthouse and Regional Administrative Buildings project, visit the webpage: https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/departments/board-county-commissioners/courthouse-and-regional-administrative-buildings-project

For more information, including to request recordings of subcommittee meetings, please contact Amy Davis, Clerk of the Board, at amy.davis@co.thurston.wa.us. To view the Board’s meeting schedule and agendas, visit: https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/departments/board-county-commissioners/meetings-public-hearings-and-work-session-agendas