Maricopa County Downtown Court Tower - Page 5

HooverDam · #81 Posted **Jun 12, 2009, 3:20 AM**

http://www.azcentral.com/news/electi...er0611-ON.html

Quote:

Thomas appeals to be reinstated on court-tower probe
24 comments by Michael Kiefer - Jun. 11, 2009 04:27 PM
The Arizona Republic
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas has petitioned the Arizona Supreme Court to reconsider a lower-court judge's decision to remove him from an investigation into the $340-million county court tower construction project at Madison Street and First Avenue in downtown Phoenix.

In a motion filed today, Thomas alleges that an attorney working on the controversial project and the attorney's law firm have multiple conflicts of interest in the case. He asks that Thomas Irvine, a contract attorney, be removed from the case and also that the county attorney's office be reinstated as prosecuting agency. The Arizona Court of Appeals already has declined a similar request.

Thomas had summoned a county grand jury to look into the court tower, while publicly offering little more reason than his concern that the money should not be spent in times of economic crisis and questioning Irvine's role in its planning.

But on March 30, Superior Court Presiding Criminal Judge Gary Donahoe ruled that Thomas was conflicted because his office had counseled the Board of Supervisors on the project and ordered Thomas off the case.

Donahoe also denied requests from Thomas' office to have an out-of-county judge rule on the matter and to remove Irvine as the board's attorney.

Thomas then passed the investigation to the Yavapai County Attorney's Office.

But he also appealed Donahoe's ruling to the Court of Appeals and was turned down.

Now, in his petition to the high court, Thomas cites as new evidence an ABC Channel 15 report noting that Irvine, who consults regularly with the supervisors, also represents the Superior Court in its planning of the court tower.

Furthermore, Thomas' petition notes that Irvine's law partner, Ed Novak , argued the case in front of Donahoe, which the motion claims is another conflict of interest because Irvine himself is a target of the investigation.

And because Donahoe is a judge of the Superior Court, another investigation target, the motion reasons that Novak was presenting the case to the very client he represented in the dispute, and that the subject of the investigation was ruling in its own behalf.

NIXPHX77 · #82 Posted **Jun 12, 2009, 4:49 AM**

Hoover - any relation to lawyer Ed N. in article above?

HooverDam · #83 Posted **Jun 12, 2009, 2:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by NIXPHX77

Hoover - any relation to lawyer Ed N. in article above?

Nope, all the Novaks in my family are dead except me and my Dad. There's a lot of pressure on me to reproduce!

Don B. · #84 Posted **Jun 12, 2009, 3:07 PM**

Soooo, is the court tower under construction? Can the evil minions of the dark side (the Emperor-in-training, Andrew Thomas - a/k/a Senator Palpatine and his avatar, Sheriff Joe, a/k/a Darth Vader) stop the construction of the tower representing justice for all before it is too late? Can the forces of good stop them in time? Stay tuned next time for another exciting episode of Court Wars! Coming to a downtown galaxy near you soon!

--don

combusean · #85 Posted **Jun 12, 2009, 8:41 PM**

^ ROFL!!! That was awesome.

NIXPHX77 · #86 Posted **Jun 13, 2009, 4:42 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by HooverDam

Nope, all the Novaks in my family are dead except me and my Dad. There's a lot of pressure on me to reproduce!

sorry to hear that. you'd better get at it - you're not getting any younger!

Luke Skyscraper · #87 Posted **Jun 15, 2009, 3:47 PM**

The web cam on the official court house website has been disabled since late last week. Is there still significant construction activity. Last image I saw it looked like they were doing some deep drilling.............

gymratmanaz · #88 Posted **Jun 15, 2009, 4:09 PM**

I took two pictures and gave them to HX. They have done a lot of digging and shoring of the walls with cement. Sure looks like they are working!!!

HX_Guy · #89 Posted **Jun 16, 2009, 5:01 PM**

Timeline of events:

December 2008 to June 2009
• Final Plans
• Demolition of parking garage
• Mass excavation and foundations started
• Structural steel procurement

October 2009
• Underground site utilities installed
• Mass excavation complete
• Tower crane erected
• Foundations complete

December 2009
• Skybridge steel installed
• Structural steel framing to top of podium
• Elevated metal decking started

May 2010
• Structural steel frame complete
• Precast skin started
• Interior wall framing started

December 2011
• Substantial Completion

First Quarter 2012
• Dedication Ceremony

Also, I thought this was going to be a cast concrete building, but it looks like it's going to be steel frame...or am I not reading things right?

Tranquility · #90 Posted **Jun 16, 2009, 8:03 PM**

if anything the court tower is the super expensive death star and thomas and arpaio are the rebels trying to destroy it. i think arpaio would be obi-wan and thomas would be luke skywalker. brewer could be yoda lol

plinko · #91 Posted **Jun 16, 2009, 8:08 PM**

^why such sour grapes from you when it comes to the cost?

The cost per SF is in line with similar buildings and it isn't putting any additional taxes on anyone.

It's a necessary piece of infrastructure that isn't costing YOU a thing.

Or is it just that you think it's ugly? If that's the case then no problem, but stop whining about how much it costs.

This thread is starting to remind me of the Sheraton thread. In the end, even I was disappointed with the end exterior product, but no one can argue that the building doesn't do its job, which in some cases is more important.

oliveurban · #92 Posted **Jun 16, 2009, 9:44 PM**

Quote:

The cost per SF is in line with similar buildings and it isn't putting any additional taxes on anyone.

It's a necessary piece of infrastructure that isn't costing YOU a thing.

Or is it just that you think it's ugly? If that's the case then no problem, but stop whining about how much it costs.

This thread is starting to remind me of the Sheraton thread. In the end, even I was disappointed with the end exterior product, but no one can argue that the building doesn't do its job, which in some cases is more important.

Agreed.

Buckeye Native 001 · #93 Posted **Jun 16, 2009, 10:22 PM**

As ugly as the Sheraton is on the outside, it has a nice interior. Go figure...

That said, I actually like the design of this building. It could be a lot worse, especially since its a government structure.

HX_Guy · #94 Posted **Jun 18, 2009, 4:04 PM**

The webcam is back up and it looks like they are kicking ass over there...

Leo the Dog · #95 Posted **Jun 18, 2009, 10:27 PM**

^^^ Good! Get it built. Anything that brings more employees DT is a good thing.

CANUC · #96 Posted **Jun 19, 2009, 1:05 AM**

I get the feeling this thing has fallen behind schedule. I believe somone posted a permit showing that the tower crane would be up by 6-16-09. Now the timeline has the tower crane going up in October. I wonder if Thomas and Arpaio's meddling has caused some hiccups.

HooverDam · #97 Posted **Jun 20, 2009, 10:59 PM**

From today, less than great shots, but I was just lifting my camera above the fence:

HooverDam · #98 Posted **Jun 22, 2009, 9:21 PM**

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...es0622-ON.html

Quote:

County officials spent at least $1.1 million suing each other
27 comments by Yvonne Wingett - Jun. 22, 2009 01:14 PM
The Arizona Republic
Maricopa County officials have spent at least $1.1 million over the past 11 months suing each other. And those legal costs are climbing, according to figures released Monday by the Office of Management and Budget.

The costs include billings to date for six cases in which Sheriff Joe Arpaio, County Attorney Andrew Thomas, County Treasurer Charles Hoskins and the Board of Supervisors have litigated each other.

The figure also includes $29,000 the Board of Supervisors paid to represent itself during a grand jury proceeding of the $340-million court tower project.

"This is just, in my experience, unprecedented in terms of the number of cases that are out there, and the sheer number (of cases) is going to drive the costs way up," Deputy Budget Director Lee Ann Bohn said.

"There's a lot of things we haven't been billed for yet. This is just what the county has been charged, to date."

What a bunch of fucking retards.

CANUC · #99 Posted **Jun 23, 2009, 5:53 PM**

Anyone else notice that they now have a sight plan on the website? I'd attachment it myself but I'm clueless as to how to do that. Either way it seems Madison will indeed be a goner which is going to make the north part of the tower completely ditached from ever possibly having any street front interaction...government planing blows.

HX_Guy · #**100** Posted **Jun 23, 2009, 6:06 PM**

Are you talking about the small plan in the Gallery section? Or is there a bigger one somewhere?

I did find a cutaway of the building...I wish the numbers were more legible so we could see what the height is.