b. Grant appl--Brownfields Prgm - Laserfiche WebLink

APPLICATION FOR BROWNFIELDS GRANT FUNDS CASS COUNTY GOVERNMENT Contact Person: Bonnie Johnson, County Coordinator Phone: 701-24'1-5720 Fax: 701-297-6020 Cass CoLmty Courthouse, Bo× 2806, Fargo, ND 58108 johnson@co.cess.nd.us SITE/PROJECT LOCATION Brownfields Pmgrem grant money would be used to demolish the old Cass County jail and sheriffs residence located on one-half block of [and behind [he Cass County Courthouse. The Courthouse is located at 2'11 Ninth Street South, Fargo, ND, in Cass Couoty. Cass County recently opened a aew jail and has nearly abandoned the existing site. Further, the county has studied and is in the process of designing a replacement building that would be situated at that current location. The original Courthouse has had two additions, one on the north side and one on the south side. This "new" building would be an addition to the Courthouse on the west side. A map of the property is attached. Since the structures are county-owned, there are no delinquent property taxes. The old jail had been assessed at $2.9 million and the residence had been assessed at $220,000, however, our insurance company is currently establishing new values for basic contents only since the buildings are no longer used or functional as counb~ buildings. SITE HISTORY AND CURRENT STATUS Since the earty 1900%, the Cass County jail and sheriff's residence were used for incarceration of inmates for Cass County. The structures have been modernized on several different occasions, however, their age and lack of inmate capacity required Cass County to move forward with the building of e new, modern facility. The new jail opened in early September, 2002. The old jail is only used to hold inmates who are transferred back to the Courthouse for court hearings on a daily basis. That will be reduced substantially when the interactive video court system, recently authorized by the North Dakota Supreme Court, goes live. Cass County intended to build a new structure at the existing site. In addition to a state of the art information services hub and prisoner transportation center on second floor, the county plans to develop the first floor for Fargo Municipal Court and the third floor for the State District CourL They recently had another judge assigned to their system and are shod of courtroom space. The county hopes this "one-stop court cente~" for criminal courts and inmates will address the long- term needs and safety concerns that county officials have needed to solve. The courtly buildings and grounds shop and centralized shipping and receiving wit[ be added to the building. Cass County has obtained an environmental assessment of the property. The results of that study can be provided, if necessary. The old jail currently holds several air conditioning units used in running the existing Courthouse, as well as a full size generator and underground fuel tank for Courthouse operations. This fuel tank was upgraded about five years ago at county expense after the old tank was discovered to be leaking fuel oil.