County gets ball rolling on new courthouse
By Terry Murry on Friday, March 19th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – Umatilla County Presiding Circuit Court Judge Dan Hill has notified the state of Oregon that the county wants a new courthouse. Commissioner Dan Dorran says it’s a process that takes about 10 years.
A steering committee to discuss a long list of possibilities has been formed and will hold its first meeting at the end of the month. The location of a new facility is also up for grabs. Dorran said some people have suggested building a new courthouse on county-owned land by the Umatilla County Jail.
“Do you look at the courthouse that we have now and see what could be done there, or do you look at the surrounding property and say, ‘Hey, is there something that could be done there?’ Do we expand the Stafford Hansell to put two courtrooms there and then build a completely new building in Pendleton on all new grounds?”
Dorran said the determination of all those different questions is going to take time.
“The determination of all of these different things is going to take time,” Dorran said. “I’m looking forward to seeing and hearing how all of this comes together. The public input is obviously going to be important as we start moving forward.
