Design Update Presented For Morristown Courthouse Expansion

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — After reviewing a revised, preliminary concept during a public meeting, Morris County officials approved moving forward with the schematic design phase for a new courthouse slated for a county-owned parcel on Schuyler Place in Morristown.

The scaled-down $62 million expansion plan has been plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic, halting action on a previously pitched 140,000-square-foot design.

Following some review and a restart on the courthouse plan this past July, a 116,998-square-foot, less expensive proposal emerged and was shared Monday by the Board of Commissioners' Courthouse Committee.

The revised design's cost would be spread out over a 25-year period, officials said on Monday.

The vote came after Roger Lichtman and Lisa Tsang of the Clifton-based infrastructure firm AECOM, which was originally contracted for the project in November 2019, gave a PowerPoint presentation to the full board and the public.

"It’s important to point out that we are not approving the courthouse or building the courthouse at this time. The objective this afternoon is to answer questions and get a consensus from the Board to permit AECOM to move from concept design to a schematic design phase," said Commissioner Stephen Shaw, Chairman of the Courthouse Committee.

The most recent design includes a 200-person jury assembly room but does not include proposals to relocate some county and court departments into the new building, which was part of the original plan.

The new plan retains the majority of a popular pocket park at the intersection of Schuyler Place and Washington Street, which the previous design would have demolished.

"I’m very pleased with the results of the redesign. It preserves a good portion of the park, which is very important. The county created that park by removing an old building many years ago, and it is heavily used by people. I think it adds to the appeal of the entire proposal," Commissioner Deborah Smith said.

Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty also attended the meeting, expressing an interest in preserving the park.

The overall scope of the project has narrowed, as has the overall cost when calculating inflation – a point noted by Commissioner Douglas Cabana.

The current complex's capacity, according to officials, has been exceeded due to the rapid growth of the court system and county government. The court expansion project has been in the works since 2018, with the contract to build a new courthouse being awarded in November 2019.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed progress until now.

According to the new timeline, bidding could start in the fall of 2023 if the final proposal is approved.