Ector County Commissioners on Tuesday will take the first step in securing a new courthouse for Ector County to replace what officials call a failing and out-of-date facility.
The court will begin the process of issuing certificates of obligation in the amount of no more than $325 million to build a new courthouse in downtown Odessa and to also complete an overhaul of the Ector County Juvenile Justice Center.
Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett said a recent flood that disrupted the Courthouse and flooded the Ector County Clerk’s office was just one more example of how the current courthouse is beyond repair.
He said a lack of space is also an issue at the courthouse and the new courthouse will be built on a site near the current courthouse, but the youth center will stay on Yukon Road where it is now but will be remodeled and space will be added. He said that plan keeps the center near the ECISD Alternative Education Center and is the most fiscally responsible thing to do.
Fawcett had hoped for several counties to group together to build a regional youth facility, but that did not work out.
Ector County issued $26 million in certificates of obligation for a new Ector County Juvenile Justice Center several years ago. The existing facility was built in 1974.
The county went out to bid for a 64-bed facility that would’ve included beds for pre- and post-adjudication kids, but it received no bids. They went out to bid again for a much smaller pre-adjudication facility, but they received proposals of $46 million and $54 million in 2023.
He said combining the youth center and new courthouse plans makes sense.
The county is working to secure the downtown property for the new courthouse and Fawcett said they will now begin the process of issuing the certificates of obligation while also listening to and informing residents about the process.
What to do about the courthouse has plagued the commissioners’ court for years. In 2009, a committee was formed to determine next steps for either repairing or replacing the courthouse. To build a new courthouse in 2009 would have cost an estimated $55 million. A poor economy led to the committee waiting until 2013 to take the issue to voters. By that time the cost was estimated at $90 for a new build. The 2013 $95 million bond election failed 4,918 to 2,609.
Fawcett said he believes issuing the CO’s is the only way to go and that the move will also allow all county offices now at the Annex on Eighth Street to move to the new courthouse.
In 1988 the auditor, IT, tax assessor-collector and commissioners’ court moved to the annex due to a lack of space at the current courthouse.
Tuesday’s agenda includes: To consider, discuss, and take any necessary action regarding all matters incident and related to approving and authorizing publication and posting of notice of intention to issue Certificates of Obligation, including the adoption of a Resolution pertaining thereto, and authorize the County Judge, and/or any other necessary party to sign all documents associated with this agenda item.
The resolution will contain language that the combined CO for both facilities is not to exceed $325 million.
“Before I took office, the original plan was to wait until November of 2025 for a vote on the Courthouse. Since being in office and handling the severity and number of issues due to the failing facility, we, as a court, see that the only option is for us to take immediate action” Fawcett said via email. “Had the last pipe burst taken place on a weekend rather than a weekday, we would have been looking at decades worth of County Clerk records being forever destroyed. That is simply unacceptable for a County Government to allow. The Courthouse contains vital, Constitutionally required documentation and operations. I swore an oath to the Constitution of this State and I ran as a solution-oriented Republican. Operating under these premises, we devised this solution that our team at Ector County strongly believes in.”
Fawcett said time was running out with the 2020 Certificate of Obligation to spend the funds. “Spending $25 million of taxpayer dollars on rehabbing a facility built in 1974 just did not sit right with myself nor the Commissioners. A new build is what is needed for our Juvenile Detention Operations and the only way to use the 2020 funding on its limited timeline was through issuing the additional funds with this C.O.”
A BIT OF HISTORY
The first Ector County Courthouse was made in 1891 from a remodeled medical facility with rooms for the sheriff, court clerks and the Odessa School with the county and district courtrooms upstairs. It was the only public building in town for years and hosted dances, socials and church services.
In 1904, a two-story red-stone courthouse was built east of the first one. The three-story cement building where the current courthouse is, was built in 1938 and the current courthouse was built around it in 1964, as the current building still has many of the characteristics from the 1930s, art deco architectural style.
Gov. John Connally dedicated the courthouse April 12, 1964.
Fawcett said issues with space, flooding and constant elevator issues are a few of the many reasons the courthouse must be replaced.
The commissioners meeting is at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the annex.
Ector County Courthouse
- Built: 1964
- Design: Modern
- Architect: Peters and Fields
- Materials: Concrete and steel
