POTSDAM — Town and village officials outlined their courtroom needs Tuesday, while Deputy Mayor Ruth F. Garner called for a commitment to share the proposed facility.
"This is a unique opportunity to have the kind of court we can be proud of," Mrs. Garner said. "If we're going to do anything, we should do it right."
Committee members discussed what would be needed in a renovated court with engineer Aaron B. Jarvis of Tisdel Associates, Canton, and Potsdam architect Brooks A. Washburn.
"We're clearly trying to build a functional court at a modest price. We don't want to spend any more money than we need to," said village Trustee Steven W. Yurgartis. "We need to be judicious. We don't want to build the Taj Mahal — just a simple courtroom with the least space possible."
Three court clerks also attended.
"I don't want to spend money. We don't have money. We're in a recession, I don't know if anybody noticed," Village Court Clerk Shelly Warner said, adding that she has been told the Village Court needs only $30,000 worth of upgrades.
The committee used the town's failed plans for a new town hall on Lawrence Avenue for guidance as it discussed what would be needed in a shared court. The 4,700-square-foot court was planned for the second floor of the ill-fated town building, and had been approved by the state for meeting court and handicapped-access standards.
"This exists on Lawrence Avenue — and it will never exist," town Councilman Michael J. Zagrobelny said of the court blueprints.
Officials agreed that a shared court should have offices for justices and clerks, interview rooms, a jury room and a holding area for prisoners. Ms. Warner said the courtroom ideally should seat 160 people. Mrs. Garner said a break room and separate bathrooms for staff and the public also should be included.
There also would be separate areas for money-handling and record storage.
"I don't think you have to pare it right down to the bare minimum, because you're already duplicating many needs by sharing the court," Mr. Washburn said. "You're sharing this monstrous space. They can have little rooms around it to do their separate jobs."
Based on the committee's recommendations, Mr. Washburn and Mr. Jarvis will draw up rough sketches of how a shared court could be accommodated in three possible locations — the town hall, the civic center and the east wing of Clarkson University's downtown Snell Hall.
The town also is considering Snell Hall as a location for its other offices.
The group hopes to make a recommendation to the town and village boards by the end of the month, based on what option it thinks works best.
Mrs. Garner asked committee members to commit to a shared court before moving forward, but Mr. Yurgartis and town Supervisor Marie C. Regan rejected that notion until they know more. The town and village boards already have approved resolutions saying the municipalities would "consider" sharing court space.
Ms. Warner also brought the group a list of the Village Court's revenues for the past three years. In 2007, the village kept $116,263 of the $223,731 it collected in court fines and fees. The rest went to the state and St. Lawrence County.
