Lippman's $23 Million Boondoggle Testament to Waste While Layoffs Continue

Court Puts Hold on Albany Judges Quarters
The New York Law Journal by Joel Stashenko  -  April 21, 2011

ALBANY, NY - The state court system is putting off completion of Albany living quarters for the judges of the Court of Appeals. The Centennial Hall project was designed so that the judges would have a place to stay other than a hotel as they tend to their duties at the capital (NYLJ, May 12, 2009).  Centennial Hall in Albany is covered in scaffolding in May 2009. At right is the Court of Appeals. The building, a former convent, is a 30,000-square-foot Romanesque Revival landmark across the street and down the block from Court of Appeals Hall. Starting on Monday, the Law Reporting Bureau will begin to occupy four floors of the building and an adjoining structure. The bureau publishes online a range of state court decisions. But the living quarters for the seven Court of Appeals judges will not go forward for now, said the Court's spokesman, Gary Spencer. Mr. Spencer said that a "project that once seemed reasonable looks less so now" in the midst of layoffs and other budget cuts. He said it has not been decided if the Judiciary will forge ahead with completion of the project, but that, at any rate, it would not happen in the current fiscal year. In the 2011-12 fiscal year, the Legislature and Governor Andrew M. Cuomo have demanded $170 million in cuts from the Judiciary, Those, in turn, have led to layoffs and other cost-saving measures. Most of the $23 million allocated for the Centennial Hall project has been spent, Mr. Spencer said. Any remaining funds will be held for the future completion of the judges' quarters, he added. The property is owned by Albany County, though the state is financing the renovation work. The creation of a state courts museum on the first floor of the structure also has been put on hold. The project was announced in the mid-2000s by then-Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye. It has since drawn criticism from the New York Post and other news organizations because of its alleged extravagance in an era of fiscal belt-tightening. Court officials have countered that the judges would be safer if they had a secure place to stay in Albany rather that lodging in local hotels. Also, the state contends that it will ultimately save money if it does not have to reimburse the judges for hotel bills or pay the $241,000-a-year tab the Law Reporting Bureau has been charged for its offices.  Joel Stashenko can be contacted at jstashenko@alm.com.