City to postpone demolition of former courthouse and building new government center on State Highway 5 due to cost concerns

By Brandi Hart
McKinneyUpdate.com editor
Created at 10:30 p.m. on June 19, 2009

McKinney City Council members voted on June 16 to postpone the demolition of the former Collin County Courthouse on State Highway 5 as they want to look at the cost associated with building a new government center in its place.

The city owns the site of the former courthouse at 210 S. McDonald St., which is also known as SH 5, in McKinney, and the site includes two annexes, including Annex A, which housed the former Collin County Jail.

Council member for District 1 Don Day said at the June 16 council meeting that he wants the city to postpone the demolition of the former courthouse for the next 180 days due to concerns with the cost associated with the city demolishing the building to erect a 45,000 square foot new government center in its place.

A quorum of four council members previously voted in the last six months to demolish the former courthouse and Annex A, located north of the six story courthouse, and to build a new, green or sustainable government center that would initially be 45,000 square feet in its place. An option to renovate the existing structure was not approved by the council.

Day said the estimated costs associated with building phase one of the new government center, which will house the Development Services Department staff members, are three to four times the amount it cost simply to construct the expansion of the Grand Hotel Day recently built in downtown McKinney.

Day suggested that the council wait for the Collin County Commissioner's Court to adopt a resolution to deal with the fact that Texas Historical Commission officials sent a letter to Collin County Judge Keith Self that the county did not notify the THC about the sale of the courthouse to the city years ago, which is required by law under the Texas Government Code. For more information about the THC and courthouse sale issue, read the following story listed in the column on the left, or by clicking here .

Council member for District 4 Ray Ricchi said that if the city can't use the courthouse property the way the city wants to, then maybe the county should take back the property. Ricchi added that he wanted to ensure the city chooses the best economical decision about the property.

Council member for District 2 Geralyn Kever echoed Ricchi 's and Day's comments, and said she also wanted the city to pursue taking another look at the costs associated with demolishing the former courthouse and building a new government center in its place.

The city is not planning to demolish the Historic Collin County Courthouse located at 111 N. Tennessee St., where the McKinney Performing Arts Center is located in the downtown McKinney square, despite reports from a Dallas TV news station and an area newspaper. The MPAC's summer season is in fact going strong with an array of performances slated from now throughout the end of 2009. For more information, visit the MPAC's Web site www.mckinneyperformingartscenter.org.

In other news, the council discussed appointing council liaisons to the city's boards and commissions. Mayor Brian Loughmiller recommended that the McKinney Airport Development Corporation council liaison be the District 1 council member as the airport is located in District 1, and the airport board has never had a District 1 council member as its liaison. Council member at-large and former council member for District 2 Pete Huff has been the council liaison to the airport board for at least the last four years and he also owns a hangar at the airport.

Ricchi suggested that the council not appoint any council liaisons, but rather have members of the boards and commissions report information about the boards and commissions' meetings to the council instead of council liaisons.

The council approved the following council liaison positions:

• Day was appointed to the airport board - the MADC, and to the Main Street Board of Directors, which encompasses downtown, which is mostly in District 1. Day owns more than six buidlings in downtown, along with The Grand Hotel, and is a partner in Rick's Chophouse. Day replaces Ricchi as the Main Street Board council liaison. Day's fiance' Linda McNeff was still listed as a Main Street Board member as of June 19.
• Kever retained the liaison position to the McKinney Community Development Corp.
• Council member for District 3 and former Planning and Zoning Commission member Travis Ussery was appointed to be the liaison to the P & Z and to be the liaison to the Building and Standards Commission. Ussery replaces Kever as the council liaison to the P & Z Commission.
• Ricchi, who works as the Executive Vice President of The Ballfields at Craig Ranch, was re-appointed to be the liaison to the McKinney Parks Board and became the new liaison to the McKinney Convention and Visitors Bureau. Former council member at-large Bill Cox previously served as the MCVB council liaison.
• At-large Council member David Brooks was appointed as the liaison to the McKinney Economic Development Corp. Prior to being on council Brooks served on the MEDC's Board of Directors. Cox previously served as the council liaison to the MEDC Board.

Huff was not appointed to any boards as he is serving as the Mayor Pro Tem and will retain the role of mayor during council meetings when Loughmiller is absent.

The council also voted to change the name of Roeder Way, which fronts the McKinney Dr Pepper StarCenter at Craig Ranch, to be called Stars Avenue, and Holcomb Parkway to Wellness Way, which is also located in Craig Ranch so the roads are more appropriately named, according to a document from Craig International that is linked to the council agenda CD. Roeder Way was named after McKinney attorney Bob Roeder who represents Craig International, and whose family has been associated in McKinney for decades.

Huff and the rest of the council members also praised the city's Planning Department staff members for the department's recently winnning the CLIDE Award by the North Central Texas Council of Governments. The city received the CLIDE award for its work on the Town Center Study, which focused on the city's downtown and residential area east of US 75.

Pictured in the photo above are John Kessel, Executive Director of the city's Development Services Department, holding the CLIDE Award, Planning Director Jennifer Cox,, and Huff, on the far right. For more information about the CLIDE Award, read the story by clicking here .

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