Las Vegas’s new $185 million Regional Justice Center, four years overdue and millions over budget — is scheduled to be fully operational by Nov. 8, the Las Vegas Review Journal reports. “We’ve finally got a central location that is customer friendly,” said Michael Sommermeyer, District Court information officer. “Whatever the outcome of someone’s case, people who seek justice in Clark County will do so at a judicial center that is probably one of the best state courthouses in the nation,” Sommermeyer said.
The project was bogged down as the size of the building nearly doubled and relations between the county and its contractor, AF Construction, turned sour. Upon entry into the 17-story building, visitors are greeted by vaulted glass ceilings, massive palm trees and red sandstone with quotes from Socrates and others carved into the walls. Criminal and civil court calendars are no longer contained on sheets of paper pinned to a wall; they are visible on huge computerized screens. At the old courthouse, paying a traffic ticket meant sitting shoulder to shoulder with strangers, crammed into a sweaty confine not much larger than a public restroom. At the Regional Justice Center, A spacious room will adequately house those who need to take care of traffic tickets.
Link: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Oct-02-Sun-2005/news/3636376.html