Family justice center project board of commissioners presentation

1. Family Justice Center Project
September 10, 2019

2. Court Operations:
Explain how the Family Court legislation of 1998 impacts operational thinking today.
Background
• Family Division of the Circuit Court Legislation
• State Bar of MI raised concern about too many conflicting orders regarding court processing of
family law cases in 1996; legislative enactment in 1998.
• Removed juvenile jurisdiction from Probate Court and placed it with a newly created Family
Division of the Circuit Court.
• New Division Includes:
• Friend of the Court (FOC): Manages domestic-relations cases.
• Juvenile Court: Manages child welfare (neglect/abuse) and juvenile delinquency cases.
• Goal: To have all family-related cases (domestics, child welfare, and juvenile) coordinated by the
Family Division.
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3. Court Operations:
Explain how the Family Court legislation of 1998 impacts operational
thinking today.
• 1994 – Juvenile Court moved from Grand
Haven to Fillmore Street Complex.
• FOC remained in Grand Haven.
• Result: Judges and staff were split
between two locations.
• Very difficult to effectively integrate case
and fiscal management pursuant to this
legislation.
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4. Court Operations:
What specifcally are these services and why is it
advantageous to have them co-located in the same
facility?•Juvenile Court
• Processes delinquent matters referred to the Court.
• Responsible to oversee neglect and abuse matters.
• Responsible to provide rehabilitative services to delinquent youth and support to their
families while protecting public safety.
• Provides Juvenile Detention Center services.
•Friend of the Court
• Processes domestic-relations cases including child support and divorces with and
without children.
• Oversight of custody and parenting time determinations.
• Timely attorney-referee hearings.
•Legal Self Help Center
• Serves all Court operations, however, 90% of patron questions deal with domestic4

5. Court Operations:
Why is it advantageous to have them co-located in
the same facility?
•Increased judge and referee availability to cover hearings, improved customer
service, expedited case processing, reduced adjournments, etc.
•Increased continuity of case outcomes.
•Greater staff development, improved understanding of the Family Division
functions, court functions, and staff roles; cross training.
•Expanded understanding, use, and application of technology.
•Reduction in travel time and mileage for the judges, referees, improved
efficiencies.
•Adequate space for staff and ancillary services, which currently does not exist.
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6. Court Operations: Historical Caseload Data
•The Friend of the Court Family Division’s workload has been steady or slightly
increasing based on type since 2009.
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7. Court Operations: Brief Historical Caseload Data
• Juvenile Court caseload referrals have been down
over the past 10 years.
• BUT caseload is anticipated to increase with the
expected passage of the Raise the Age legislation.
• Legislation expected to pass with the 2020 State
budget.
• Will move 17-year-olds from District Court jurisdiction
to the Juvenile Court.
• 2017 Data: Indicated 306 youth at age 17 were
under District Court jurisdiction and would fall under
Juvenile Court jurisdiction with the new legislation.
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8. Court Operations: Brief Historical Caseload Data
Increased Complexity of Cases
• About 70% of youth in the JDC are on psychotropic
medications compared to about 15% of them 10 years
ago.
• Significant number of juveniles with multiple chronic
medical/mental health conditions.
• Mental illness pervasive within the population served –
juveniles, parents, and extended family.
• Managing actively psychotic youth in the JDC; no place to
serve these youth in State.
• Lack of family involvement/parenting; more grandparents
raising kids.
• Increased triaging of cases to prevent residential
treatment through child welfare side of system.8

9. Justifcation for the Proposed Family Justice
Center
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•Primary reason to build is not exclusively about Court caseload sizes.
•The Proposed Family Justice Center building represents the Court’s
objective to implement the State’s requirement to provide a Family
Division of the 20th Circuit Court; AND
•Improved services to County residents.
•Improved facility function for all involved.

10. Overall Project Justifcation: What are we planning to
build?
• A Planning Committee composed of representatives from
County Administration, Facilities, County Clerk/Register of
Deeds, Prosecutor’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, Fiscal Services,
IT, Circuit and Probate Court judges and administration,
Juvenile Court administration, FOC and a facilitator have met
numerous times to identify the County’s needs that this new
building must address.
• The Family Justice Center will be a new building located north
of the existing Administration building at the Fillmore
Complex.
• The building will house three Judges, as well as FOC and
Juvenile Court support staff for Ottawa County’s 20th Circuit
Court’s Family Division and include three courtrooms, offices,
conference rooms, holding cells, and a sally port.
• Approximately 145 staff members from 11 departments will
occupy the building.
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11. Overall Project Justifcation: Why do we need
it now?
•Ottawa County Courthouse
(Grand Haven)
• When built, no space was allocated for
growth due to building costs.
• Staff spaces are filled.
• FOC expanded into one Trial Division
office and utilized a closet for the
addition of the two Bench Warrant
Sheriff’s deputies.
• In the past five years, approximately two
staff were added (2013 and 2015).
• Lack of appropriate meeting areas.11

12. Overall Project Justifcation: Why do we need it
now?
Probate/Family Courthouse (Fillmore)
• Facility does not provide segregated space for
employees, inmates and public traffic.
• Security issues
•
Incarcerated individuals and youth from JDC brought into
hearings through public waiting area.
•
No secure office area, including the judges’ chambers.
•
Limited lobby space prevents separating conflicting parties.
•
No segregated staff restrooms.
• No available space for any expansion of staff from Grand
Haven.
• Storage is at capacity.
• Lack of meeting areas to interface with clients; extremely
limited and inflexible areas for meetings.
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13. Overall Project Justifcation: Why do we need it now?
•Staff are doubled up single offices at the Fillmore Complex.
•Very limited space for breaks, sick/mother’s room, and kitchen
facilities for staff
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14. Overall Project Justifcation:
Why do we need it now? The customers’
perspective•The “customers” of FOC and Juvenile Court are experiencing the most
emotional and difficult experiences they may ever have when dealing with
divorce, custody issues, parenting time and other FOC and juvenile
matters.
•This trauma is made worse if they have to come to court and be in the
presence of handcuffed defendants and testify in front of other people that
are in court for unrelated matters.
•Due to lack of space at Fillmore, there are times when youth from the JDC
are brought into the public lobby for their hearings and wait there while
handcuffed, shackled and in JDC sweats. There is no room to keep them
separated from the public.
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15. Overall Project Justifcation:
Why aren’t we expanding the existing Juvenile facility
at Fillmore?
•Landmark Design Group of Grand Rapids’ study in March 2006 originally
anticipated the Jail count would increase to the point it would need to expand into
the current Juvenile Detention Center space. This would require Juvenile Court to
relocate to a new building at Fillmore.
•To fully implement the Family Division model as intended, the preferred option
was to move FOC staff to Fillmore due to the growth of Juvenile Court
responsibilities and the need for increased Family Court services at the Fillmore
Complex.
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16. Overall Project Justifcation:
Why aren’t we expanding the existing Juvenile
facility at Fillmore?•Cannot expand “up” due to HVAC
equipment on the roof.
•Current parking is limited for
employees and the public.
•Limited space to expand “out.”
•The Jail may expand into the
Juvenile area if the jail population
increases or if a new mental health
pod is constructed.
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17. Overall Project Justifcation:
GMB’s Study June 2016 Recommendations
•Relocate FOC and Juvenile Court to a new building at Fillmore Complex.
•Relocate Probate Court to the 2nd floor of the Grand Haven Courthouse
(GHCH).
•Relocate Prosecutor’s Office from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor of the
GHCH.
•Open up space on 1st floor at GHCH for potential expansion of Service
Center, conference rooms, etc.
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18. Overall Project Justifcation: 20th Circuit Court’s
Recommendations – January 2017
•Juvenile Court Clerical Area at Fillmore Needs:
• Secure area for judges and staff
• Courtroom space for multiple attorneys and
litigants in child-welfare & delinquency cases
• Victim/witness waiting rooms
• Space for confidential attorney/client meetings
and staff training
• Easily accessible restrooms for handicapped
and those needing assistance
• Sufficient public-service counters
• Adequate public waiting areas
• Sufficient staff and storage space18

19. Overall Project Justifcation: 20th Circuit Court’s
Recommendations – January 2017
• It is the Court’s intent to establish a full-service
Circuit Court Family Division at the Fillmore
Campus. It will:
• Be closer to all the County’s population centers;
• Allow for easier, case-related information
sharing among court and County Clerk staff;
• Improve functions across the Courts; and
• Facilitate the state legislatively mandated “one
family – one judge” concept.
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20. Overall Project Justifcation: Why is the construction of the Family Justice Center
different than 25 years ago? What elements are included in modern facilities that were
not present in the past?
•Fillmore St. Court Office:
• Not designed for safety; there is no secure area in
the court side of the building. Judges’ chambers and
staff offices are accessible to anyone in the office area
of the building.
• Not built to accommodate the level of traffic and the
types of cases heard in this facility.
• Not designed to house the current level of Clerk’s Office
staff and related services, e.g., mediations, N/A and
domestic-relation cases.
• Not designed for staff doubling up in offices designed for
one person.
• Not designed with space for confidential discussions
between clients and attorneys, staff and clients, etc.
•County Clerk’s Office - Courtside
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21. Overall Project Justifcation:
Why is the construction of the Family Justice Center different than 25 years ago?
What elements are included in modern facilities that were not present in the past?
•The proposed Family Justice Center would provide:
• Secure areas for Judges and staff
• Adequate victim/witness space
• Adequate lobby space to keep conflicting parties separated
• Meeting rooms for clients, attorneys and various professional groups
• Adequate and flexible staff offices, including judges’ chambers
• Employee restrooms and easily accessible public restrooms
• Sufficient storage areas
• Sufficient sound management in walls and hallways
• ​Sufficient natural light for improved working conditions
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22. Overall Project Justifcation: What happens to existing JDC
and JJI building space and FOC space in GHCH if new building
is constructed?
•While still under discussion, one option is to relocate Probate Court to
GHCH and use one of the 2nd floor courtrooms for that purpose and using
the FOC service window for the Probate Court service window.
•Trial Division staff will also move into this area to alleviate current
congested office spaces.
•Similar to the FOC staff who work in Holland to provide walk-in services, it
is anticipated there may be a need for limited FOC staff to remain in GH to
provide services for clients living in the north end of the county.

23. Overall Project Justifcation:
What happens to existing JDC and JJI building space
and FOC space in GHCH if new building is
constructed?•Phase 1: Construct a new courthouse to include 3 courtrooms, 3 attorney-
referee hearing rooms and office space for FOC, County Clerk/Register of
Deeds and Juvenile Court staff.
•Phase 2: Construct a new Juvenile Detention Center adjacent to the new
courthouse. It will be several years before any detailed discussion begins
on this phase.
•Phase 3: Construct a new juvenile programming center to include the
Juvenile Justice Institute and Juvenile Court treatment services. It will be
several years before any detailed discussion begins on this phase.
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24. FINANCIAL:
What will this project cost?
•Exact project cost is unknown until the project is designed and bids are
received.
•Construction costs have increased in recent years due to strong economy
and lack of available contractors. Previous County building projects
occurred during Great Recession that resulted in a more favorable cost
environment.
•Preliminary Project Cost (estimated at $375/SF)
• 40,000 SF Building: $15 million
• 60,000 SF Building: $22.5 million
•County plans to use the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) method to
complete this project on schedule and at an expected lower cost with
increased space utilization than traditional delivery methods.24

25. Financial:
How would this project be fnanced?
•The project will be financed by selling Building Authority bonds.
• Low interest rate environment due to County’s Aaa-Stable bond rating from Moody’s.
• Taxpayer benefit and expense are spread over the term of the bonds.
•Debt payments from the Delinquent Tax Fund
• Final debt payment for Jail Construction was in FY 2018 ($1.1M annually).
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26. Building Authority:
What is it?
•The Building Authority is a three-member board appointed by the Board of
Commissioners.
•Sole purpose is to finance and construct the County’s public buildings.
•When bonds are paid in full, the building is transferred to the County.
•Building Authority co-founded the Insurance Authority. One member of the
Building Authority also serves as a member of the Insurance Authority
Board.
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27. Financial:
What are the operational costs?
•Majority of staff will be moving from other facilities
•Facility Maintenance (insurance, utility, .5 FTE) - $200,000
•Security (2 Deputies) - $230,000
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28. Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)
•IPD is a new method to design and construct buildings that is:
• Less adversarial and more collaborative than traditional delivery methods.
• Based on trust, transparency and value.
• Driven by continuous improvement and lean techniques (e.g. prefabrication, BIM).
• Employs a risk/reward strategy.
• IPD has typically resulted in lower project costs and improved space utilization.
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29. Key Differences
Traditional Project vs. IPD
•Traditional Construction Practices
•Two contracts (Architect &
Contractor)
•Best understood within industry
•Linear sequence of work (longest
delivery)
•Primary reason to choose is price
•Procurement laws are well defined
•Low first cost (Bidding)
•Change or issue resolution creates
•Integrated Project Delivery
•More time focused in early phases
of project on needs, planning,
design
•Architect and contractor are one
entity (single point of responsibility)
•Experts in design and construction
contribute to ALL phases of the
project
•Owner can tailor the best
contractual arrangement for their29

30. Plan Design Construct
Plan Design Construct
Relative Time Allocation
Traditional Project vs. IPD
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Traditional
IPD

31. Commissioners’ Submitted
Questions
•How much space is available at the Fillmore Complex for FOC staff to
move there?
•What does the expansion of the Fillmore building look like if there is not
sufficient space available for FOC staff?
•What would happen with the current JDC and JJI building space, as well
as the vacated FOC space at the Ottawa County Courthouse in Grand
Haven?
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32. Commissioners’ Submitted
Questions
•What is the projected impact on staffing with any new facility (i.e. will we be
adding staffing)?
•What has enrollment in the Juvenile Justice facility looked like over the
past years?
•What has FOC staffing looked like over the past five years? Have we
added significantly?
•Would the Juvenile Detention Center add new beds?
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33. Commissioners’ Submitted
Questions
•On what basis is there a need for a new Juvenile Justice Court? Is there a
chart or graph showing the increased caseload or number of clients being
served?
•If the need is primarily because of Friend of the Court, would it be feasible
to add a wing to our existing facility dedicated to FOC?
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34. Questions???
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35. Architect G C
Sub Cont.
Key
Supply
Client
Team
Bid ProcessArch.
Drawing
Build
Pre-Construction Construction
Design Bid Build Occupy
Post Construction
Punch List
Key Objectives:
•
Understanding Needs & Wants
•
Programming
•
Aesthetics
•
Structural & Site Plan
Key Objectives:
•
Time and budget
•
Manage Choices
•
Manage Changes
Key Objectives:
•
Contractor Qualifications
•
Legal Coverage
•
Price
Move In
Plan
Key Objectives:
•
Functionality
•
Comfort
Owner Purch
Team
Adjust
TRADITIONAL DELIVERY V. INTEGRATED PROJECT DELIVERY (ipd)
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36. Arch
G C
Sub
Sup
Client
Team
Select
Arch.
Drawing
& Details
Build
Pre-Construction Construction
Design Build Occupy
Post Construction
Punch List
Key Objectives:
•
Understand and
document wants
and needs
•
Define Selection
Process
Key Objectives:
•
Continued Comm
•
Shared Risk/Rewards
•
Lean Principles
•
Timing and Scheduling
Key Objectives:
•
Needs Met
•
Avoid Const Changes/Conflicts
•
Understand Cost of Everything
•
Build Virtually
Move In
Plan and Select
Key Objectives:
•
Functionality
•
Comfort
Adjust
Purch
Team
Client
Team
Owner
Needs Defined
Owner
Key Objectives:
•
Team Experience
•
Team Effectiveness
•
Budget Understanding
•
Contract Objectives and
Negotiation
TRADITIONAL DELIVERY V. INTEGRATED PROJECT DELIVERY (ipd)
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37. Overall Project Justifcation:
What are we planning to build?
•The Family Justice Center will be a new building located north of the existing
Administration building at the Fillmore Complex.
•A Planning Committee composed of representatives from County Administration,
Facilities, County Clerk/Register of Deeds, Prosecutor’s Office, Sheriff’s Office,
Fiscal Services, IT, Circuit and Probate Court judges and administration, Juvenile
Court administration, FOC and a facilitator have met numerous times to identify
the County’s needs that this new building must address.
•The building will house the judiciary and support staff for Ottawa County’s 20th
Circuit Court’s Family Division. Initially, three Judges, the FOC and Juvenile
Court staff, offices, conference rooms, courtrooms, holding cells, a sally port and
other.
•Approximately 145 staff members from 11 departments will occupy the building.37

38. Court Operations:
Explain how the Family Court legislation of 1996, which combined family court
matters in Circuit and Probate Courts, impacts operational thinking today
•Family Division of the Circuit Court was founded in a concern raised by the
State Bar of Michigan regarding court processing of family law cases in the
mid-1990s.
•To avoid conflicting orders, the legislature removed juvenile jurisdiction
from Probate Court and placed it with the newly created Family Division of
the Circuit Court.
•Family Division includes the Friend of the Court (FOC), which manages
domestic-relations cases, and the Juvenile Court, which manages child-
welfare (neglect/abuse) and juvenile-delinquency cases.
•Intention was to have all family-related cases (juvenile, child welfare, and
domestic) coordinated by the same judge in the Family Division.
38

39. Court Operations:
Explain how the Family Court legislation of 1996, which combined
family court matters in Circuit and Probate Courts, impacts
operational thinking today
•The proposed Family Justice Center building represents the County’s
implementation of the State’s requirement to provide a Family Division of
the 20th Circuit Court.
•The Family Division’s workload is both shifting and growing (Is this true?
Has caseload been steady over the years?) – domestic-relation cases are
the largest portion of the Circuit Court caseload.
•It is anticipated that the number of juvenile cases will increase with the
expected passage of the Raise the Age legislation.
39

40. Overall Project Justifcation:
What are we planning to build?
•The Family Justice Center will be a new building located north of the
existing Administration building at the Fillmore Complex.
•This building will house the Judiciary and Support staff for Ottawa County’s
20th Circuit Court’s Family Division. Initially, three Judges and
approximately 145 staff members from 11 departments will occupy the
building.
•It will house the FOC and Juvenile Court staff, offices, conference rooms,
courtrooms, holding cells, a sally port and other related space.
•A Planning Committee composed of representatives from County
Administration, Facilities, County Clerk/Register of Deeds, Prosecutor’s
Office, Sheriff’s Office, Fiscal Services, IT, Circuit and Probate Court
judges and administration, Juvenile Court administration, FOC and a40

41. Overall Project Justifcation:
Why aren’t we expanding the existing Juvenile facility at
Fillmore?
•The Jail is running out of office space.
•The Jail is adding two mental health workers.
•The Jail needs additional space for classes and training.
•The Jail needs additional space for medical services.
•The front entrance to the Jail is too small for both the public and security
personnel.
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42. Overall Project Justifcation:
What happens to existing JDC and JJI building space
and FOC space in GHCH if new building is
constructed?•While still under discussion, one option is to relocate Probate Court to
GHCH and use one of the 2nd floor courtrooms for that purpose and using
the FOC service window for the Probate Court service window.
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