From the last weekis News article, Courthouse timetable begins to gain traction, Sharon Linstedt writes:
The federal General Services Administration said Tuesday that it will begin taking demolition bids Nov. 14 for the site at Niagara Square and Delaware Avenue. “This is a critical step and a really positive sign,” U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny said. “This gets us construction-ready and hopefully means we’ll be funded in the next federal budget.”
And thereis even good news in the funding department. While no one is sure of the projectis fate in Congress, the Judicial Conference Committee in September ranked ours as the top courthouse project in the country, ahead of new buildings proposed for Salt Lake City, Jackson, Fort Pierce, and Savannah.
“After reviewing the projects, the Buffalo courthouse was listed as the No. 1 priority of what is essentially the board of directors for the federal court system,” said Richard Carelli, a spokesman for the federal Office of Court Administration. “That should bode well for its inclusion in the 2007 federal budget.”
Itis not a lock, but it’s looking good so far. Though the courthouse project has been put on hold twice because of a lack of construction dollars, backed by $17 million in planning funds, the project has made it through the design and property acquisition stages and the federal government is proceeding with demolition. The project has also been given top priority by by the Federal Office of Court Administration.
Keep your fingers crossed.