Denver May 2005 Special Election
A new Justice Center is the first item we'll get to vote on in May. Mayor Hickenlooper is hoping tours of the current jail will help get the issue passed, according to the Denver Post [January 6, 2005, "Mayor: Tours of jail will show need for new justice center"]. From the article, "The ballot question will not include a property tax increase. Instead, rates will remain steady until the center is paid off. Currently, the jail is designed for 1,500 inmates but houses more than 2,000. Experts have warned that Denver is ripe for a federal lawsuit if conditions don't change. A new justice center downtown would consolidate about 41 courtrooms, a jail with 1,500 beds and a parking lot with 684 spaces. The county jail on Smith Road would be overhauled to include a few hundred new beds as well. Preliminary project costs for the justice center last month were $355 million. A new cost estimate unveiled on Wednesday was $364 million. Project manager James Mejia said that he and the task force are still reviewing escalating construction costs and the need for a juvenile court building. They are also trying to find a way to cut anything not considered a necessity. A final price tag is expected to be announced between Jan. 16 and 26, said mayoral chief of staff Michael Bennet."
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