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HILO -- The state Judiciary will buy and tear down Hilo's mostly vacant Kaikoo Mall to build a new court complex, the Judiciary announced. Judiciary targets
Hilo’s Kaikoo Mall for
court complexThis despite money questions
Star-Bulletin staff
The Judiciary set a goal of completing a new 130,000-square-foot facility by mid-2005, although a number of money issues remain unresolved.
Chief Justice Ronald Moon announced in 1998 that the Judiciary would buy the former J.C. Penney building attached to the mall.
However, Hawaii County had already bought the Penney building in 1996 and had begun investing in converting it to offices.
Former Mayor Stephen Yamashiro had told Moon he would consider a purchase by the Judiciary. But Yamashiro did not inform his staff, and explained later that his talk with Moon was only preliminary.
Since then, the county and the Judiciary haven't been able to agree on a selling price, yesterday's announcement said.
The Penney building and the mall are separate properties, but they give the appearance of a single building with only an enclosed walkway separating them.
Both are across the street from an existing county building and the state building, which now houses two circuit courtrooms and a district court.
The mall is owned by the Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation. No purchase price has been agreed on, but the mall is valued for tax purposes at $9.2 million.
The Legislature set aside $6.5 million for the land last year. The Judiciary will now ask the Legislature for another $1.5 million and hopes to negotiate a price in the neighborhood of $8 million, said Courts Administrative Director Michael Broderick.
The Judiciary also will ask for $25,000 for planning and $3.5 million for design.
The county is continuing renovations at the Penney building, now called One Pauahi Place. When those are finished, the Family Court will move from a separate location into the renovated space on a temporary basis, the announcement said.