Security is priority for S.L. court expansion

Courthouse-related shootings in Atlanta and Chicago have heightened concerns over security in the Frank Moss Courthouse expansion project in Salt Lake City.

"The heightened security concerns over the recent events that have occurred in Atlanta and Chicago makes people even more concerned about the security of our courts and personnel," said Kim Bailey of the General Service Administration, which is overseeing the courthouse expansion project.

To make sure the courthouse remains secure, the GSA is snatching up all of the property on the half-block surrounding the courthouse.

The GSA recently agreed to purchase the Chevron gas station on the corner of Market Street and West Temple. Attendants say they expect to close the station in the next few days or possibly next week.

The GSA has also made offers on two buildings to the north and east of the Shubrick Building, which houses the popular bar Port O' Call, although negotiations on those sales haven't been finalized.

And while it hasn't made an offer yet, the GSA's plan is to purchase the Shubrick building, on the corner of 400 South and West Temple, when funds become available. If property owner Kent Knowley agrees to sell the land, the building will likely be razed to make way for the expansion, which would include the entire half-block from 400 South and Market Street between Main and West Temple.

"The opportunity for (the Shubrick Building) to remain, in all honesty, is not one that would bode well with the integrity of the courthouse," Bailey said.

With the acquisition of the Chevron station, the GSA now owns the majority of the block with the exception of Knowley's properties, which include the Shubrick and the two smaller buildings already bid on by the GSA. Knowley said Monday he hasn't talked with the GSA in about a year. Odd Fellow Hall, which sits northwest of the courthouse, is scheduled to be moved north across Market Street.

Courthouse clerk Mark Zimmer said the plans are to begin construction on the courthouse renovation and expansion in 2008, but that date is contingent on federal funding becoming available.

"We have anticipated we will get it in 2008," he said.

Pete Ashdown, a member of the Salt Lake City Historic Landmarks Commission, said it would be sad to lose the Shubrick Building.

"I'd hate to see it demolished," he said.

Federal judges who work inside the courthouse along with Sen. Orrin Hatch and the Salt Lake Chamber have urged the GSA to include the building in the project for security reasons.

"The new courthouse will need greatly enhanced security buffers," the chamber noted in a January 2004 resolution.

A federal judge's husband and mother were murdered near Chicago Feb. 28 after the judge apparently fell out of favor with a man who had lost a case in her court. In Atlanta, a man on trial for rape allegedly killed a state judge, court reporter and a sheriff's deputy while trying to escape. Brian Nichols, who is also accused of killing a customs agent, has since been taken into custody.

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E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com