The Board of Supervisors spent multiple meetings weighing the merits of various options for the old Superior courthouse, which was replaced last year by a new building across the street.
Money was the main concern since the county doesn’t have the initial $17.5 million needed for renovating the nearly 70-year-old building. Supervisor Corkey Harmon said that drove his decision to tear down the building.
“It’s not feasible to think about turning that into something else," he said. "We’d probably spend $20 plus million trying to turn that into something.”
Supervisors approved the initial costs Tuesday to begin the demolition process, which would take until at least next year to start.
The delay gives Shasta County more time to figure out what to do with the space and look for possible grants to help pay for it.
“So if we wanted to do a memorial, maybe there’s some grant money out there for that," said Troy Bartolomei, the county public works director. "But the thing is, there’s many options we can do going forwards.”
County supervisors chose the cheapest option, which would cost around $6.2 million. They could pay for it using some of the money previously set aside for expanding the county jail, an effort that has been stalled.
The initial plans include building a parking lot and a small park on the property.
