More News

Delays in safety inspections at the new District Court in downtown Rockville have pushed the opening to June 20.

The opening had originally been planned for December, but was already pushed back until February because of bad weather and routine construction delays.

At the same time, a permanent cure for the intense sunlight reflections off the building's southern windows is due soon. The state is evaluating a solar film that will decrease the reflection by 80 percent.

Barthol L. Thomas, acting assistant secretary for Facilities Planning, Design and Construction at the state Department of General Services, said the most recent delays were caused by safety inspection requirements.

"We've had a few setbacks with the emergency generator and we are now doing our final tests," Thomas said.

The court sits on the former site of the Rockville Library at the corner of Jefferson Street and Maryland Avenue. It sits across Jefferson Street from the current District Court building.

The window reflection, nicknamed the "death ray," was initially covered by a $40,000, 94-foot-by-135-foot white tarp that has since ripped and been replaced by an identically sized and priced sheet. The sheet cost includes installation.

The state tasked building designer AECOM of Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va., with developing a solution.

"We haven't accepted anything yet," Thomas said. "We are just checking it to see that it will work and the longevity of it before we accept anything."

The new courthouse is 167,072 square feet and six stories tall. It will contain nine courtrooms and four hearing rooms, courtroom holding areas, and offices for judicial administration, court clerks, commissioners, advocate services, public defenders, parole and probation, and the Drunk Driver Monitoring Program, according to state officials.

State legislators budgeted $71 million to design, construct and equip the new courthouse. The budget lists an additional $10 million in land acquisition and planning costs.

A group of Rockville residents called the Move the Courthouse Steering Committee fought to construct the building elsewhere downtown. Members said they opposed the location starting in 2000, arguing it would increase traffic and parking challenges in an already congested area and was too close to a residential street.

Immediately to the west of the courthouse are Christ Episcopal Church and a row of houses, some of which are used as offices.

snorris@gazette.net