Nearly 100 people attended a public open house hosted by the Multnomah County Central Courthouse Project on February 23 in Portland, Oregon. The event provided an opportunity for the public to view the latest construction plans and drawings, talk with members of the project team and submit comments and questions on construction and design issues.

Attendees included representatives from county and state government, legal practices, the Multnomah County Sheriff and District Attorney’s offices, nearby businesses, non-profit groups and members of the public. Project team members from Multnomah County, SRG Partnership, CGL, Hoffman Construction, Day CPM Services and EnviroIssues staffed the event.

Attendees were provided with a project fact sheet and comment form at a sign-in table. People were encouraged to view the displays, ask questions of project staff and contribute comments on comment cards, flip charts or via email following the event.

The stations at the open house included:

  • Why a new courthouse? – information about the need for a new, safer courthouse
  • Designing a courthouse for the 21st century – displays and information about how the new courthouse will meet the current and future needs of the county
  • Interior public spaces –details and renderings of courtrooms, corridors and other public areas
  • Construction planning – information about construction protocols, sequence and impacts to traffic flow
  • Transportation – information about transportation access and parking at the new courthouse site
  • Project schedule and financing – information on estimated project cost, construction milestones and duration
  • Diversity – information about the diversity goals of the project and efforts planned to achieve these goals.
  • Sustainability – display featuring sustainability goals of the project and examples of implementation
  • Public input – information about how public input has informed the project, including previous comment collected at previous open houses
  • Comment station – an opportunity for attendees to provide input on the project.

For more information about the project and open house, visit: Multco.us/central-courthouse