FEINGOLD,
KOHL, KAGEN PUSH FOR NEW FEDERAL COURTHOUSE FOR GREEN BAY
Green Bay’s U.S. District Court Currently Operating Out of
Disjointed Office Space Throughout the City
July 31, 2008
Washington, D.C. –
U.S. Senators Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl and U.S. Representative Steve
Kagen are urging Federal court administrators to make a new Federal
Courthouse for Green Bay a priority. In a letter sent today to the Director
of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Feingold, Kohl
and Kagen cited the substantial costs and lack of efficiency with the
current arrangement as evidence of the need for a new Courthouse. Currently,
the Green Bay division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District
of Wisconsin rents a number of different offices throughout the city
to conduct its business rather than having a centralized location.
“While many cities
across the country are in need of a new Federal Courthouse to replace
aging facilities, Green Bay is in the particularly pressing situation
of not having a centralized building at all,” Feingold said. “Right
now, with the court divided up in spaces around the city, people have
to run all over town to conduct official court business. A new Federal
Courthouse for Green Bay should be a top priority as administrators
schedule new projects.”
“As one of Wisconsin’s
largest cities and the center of a growing region, Green Bay should
have a federal courthouse to serve the area’s increasing population.
Fragmenting these services is an inefficient way to conduct the court’s
business, and an inconvenience to those needing its services,”
Kohl said.
“This investment will
boost our local economy in Brown County," said Congressman Steve
Kagen. “I am working hard to guarantee that our hard earned tax
dollars are spent here in Wisconsin and not overseas. By investing in
our own infrastructure we will create higher wage jobs here at home.”
The AO is investigating the
need for new construction or building renovations at more than 30 sites
across the country, including Green Bay. Due to a now-expired moratorium
on construction and the corresponding backlog of projects, many projects
need to be completed before a Federal Courthouse for Green Bay could
get to the top of the list of prioritized projects. In their letter,
the Members of Congress call for a Green Bay Court to be added to the
list as soon as possible.
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