Santa Clara County Supervisor and Gilroyan Don Gage doesn't want to miss a deal for the city's youth.
Two months after the new Santa Clara County Superior Courthouse opened in Morgan Hill, county officials are trying to sell the portable buildings in San Martin that once held court. At the same time, Gilroy officials are making plans to demolish the shuttered downtown youth center near Railroad and Sixth streets because the 78-year-old building does not meet state earthquake codes. Since closing the center in September, recreation officials opened a temporary operation inside the senior center near Sixth and Railroad streets, but that venue does not offer boxing and basketball courts or give employees with the Mexican American Community Services Agency the same time to offer youth and adult outreach programs.
Gage could not say how much it would cost to purchase, relocate and re-assemble 5,600 square feet worth of trailers, which would give kids the same room they had in the old building, he said. A review of various online vendors that sell used portable buildings showed those similar to the old courthouse selling for at least $10 per square foot, but that did not include transportation and construction costs.
Faced with a $3.6 million deficit starting next fiscal year, Gilroy probably won't contribute any money to the project, Recreation Supervisor John Garcia said. Knowing this and wanting to seize the air-conditioning- and bathroom-equipped trailers before one of his fellow supervisors, Gage said he "would have to go out to the community to raise some money to pay for them."
"First the city has got to get the old building torn down and clean up the site and then we'll figure out what to do, but I don't want to miss the opportunity," Gage said. "This would be perfect."
Demolition could happen by October at the earliest, City Engineer Rick Smelser said. Along with the youth center, the city also needs to demolish the library near the senior center and a few downtown buildings near Monterey and Seventh streets, where the planned arts center will stand. Each site requires different surveys before bulldozers start up, such as a hazardous material study at the industrial-looking youth center that once housed PG&E, Smelser said. While technically closed, the city still uses the building as a broadcast point for Gilroy's downtown wireless Internet service.
In September, a city inspection revealed that hollow clay tile and brick masonry - materials which do not comply with state earthquake standards - compose the building's walls and parapets. The city found that out from a building evaluation it commissioned before purchasing the building from PG&E in 1996. However, earthquake concerns were not as prevalent a part of the building code back then, city officials said last year.
Chris Bone Chris Bone covers Gilroy government for South Valley Newspapers. Reach him at 847-7109 or e-mail him.
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