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Originally Posted by OCtoSD
I read on the San Diego page that Los Angeles and SD had gotten federal money to finish their court houses. Any word on that?
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Here is an Austin paper commenting on why Austin will receive a new courthouse from the stimulus plan and why L.A. will not.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/19/0219courthouse.html
Austin judge 'optimistic' stimulus bill will yield new courthouse
Downtown building among seven in U.S. with design and site acquisitions completed.
By Steven Kreytak
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Austin's federal judges are "hopeful and optimistic" that the federal stimulus bill signed by President Barack Obama on Tuesday could include funding for a new federal courthouse downtown, said U.S. Magistrate Judge Andy Austin.
The bill allots $5.5 billion to a federal buildings fund, of which $750 million will go toward the construction of federal buildings and U.S. courthouses. The largest portion of that fund, $4.5 billion, is for making federal buildings more energy-efficient.
The bill does not specify which buildings or courthouses will be funded, but Judge Austin said a House-Senate conference report stipulated that $450 million go to build a new headquarters for the Department of Homeland Security.
That leaves $300 million for other federal buildings or courthouses. Where the money goes is up to the General Services Administration, which must submit a spending plan to congressional appropriations committees within 45 days.
Judge Austin said he knows of no federal buildings that are ready to be built. However there are seven cities, including Austin, where design and site acquisition have been completed for new federal courthouses, according to a December letter to congressional leaders from the director of the Judicial Conference of the United States.
First on the list is a San Diego courthouse, estimated to cost $110.4 million.
Second on the list is a Los Angeles courthouse, at $530 million. Third is the Austin courthouse, estimated to cost $116.1 million.
Because the San Diego project already has funding and there is not enough money in the bill to pay for the Los Angeles courthouse, Judge Austin says the Austin courthouse could be funded under the bill. "We are keeping our fingers crossed," he said.
City Manager Marc Ott, meanwhile, said Wednesday that Austin has significantly beefed up its lobbying team in Washington to maximize what it can get out of the federal stimulus package.
The planned seven-story Austin courthouse will be built at the corner of Fifth and Nueces streets, across from Republic Square Park. The design is mostly done.
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