The Solano County grand jury is recommending that state and county government take action to prevent a long-standing winter flood problem at the Solano County Hall of Justice and adjacent offices in downtown Fairfield.
The civil grand jury is an arm of Solano County Superior Court, empowered to investigate and report upon all forms of local government within the county, including schools, special districts and state prisons.
In its most recent report, the grand jury scrutinized recurring flooding problems at the Hall of Justice, Solano County Sheriff's Office and the Office of Emergency Services, noting shortcomings in storm drains and runoff control.
The grand jury report points out that the southern wing of the Hall of Justice, at 600 Union Ave., was built well below street level and experienced serious flood damage during storms in 1998 and 2005. The 2005 flood alone reportedly caused $1.5 million in damage to the buildings, impeding normal operations in both the courts and nearby Sheriff's Office.
"The level of the first floor of the Hall of Justice is below the level of the Union Avenue storm drains. The grand jury inquired as the reason for this design, but no one knew the answer," the report noted.
"Until this situation is resolved, flooding of the area will continue to be a drain on taxpayer resources," grand jurors wrote.
Because the Hall of Justice is now under state jurisdiction, the grand jury is recommending that the county "should aggressively lobby the state to secure funding for replacement or renovations and upgrades to the Hall of Justice."
The grand jury further recommends that the county consider building a retaining wall around the Hall of Justice, Sheriff's Office and Office of Emergency Services to hold back surface runoff during heavy rains.
Upgrading of nearby storm drain boxes, additional water detention ponds and improvement to nearby pumps and pumping stations also were recommended.
"Under the current circumstances, flooding of county buildings is inevitable. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of positive bureaucratic response to the problem," the grand jury warned. "Solano County and the city of Fairfield need to work together to investigate all potential sources of financial assistance to alleviate the threat of future flooding."
To read the full text of grand jury reports online, go to www.solanocourts.com and click on the grand jury site.
For more information about the Solano County grand jury, call 207-7302.
http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_12526346
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