Greenlaw Fires Back At Courthouse Critics

Mary Katherine Greenlaw, one of the three candidates running for Fredericksburg mayor, is defending her support of the $36 million courthouse project downtown that her two opponents have been criticizing for months.

Greenlaw made the statements on her campaign website today and posted a message on her Facebook campaign site about

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On her website, Greenlaw says constructing the new courthouse facility makes good use of the General District Court building as the future home of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. Greenlaw also says the Renwick Building where Circuit Court is now cannot be renovated to meet the current and future needs for the city's courts system.

"It economically uses the Executive Plaza for associated court functions, while positioning the city to sell or replace it," she said.

Her critics say that before the city makes this transformation, it has to spend more than $1 million to temporary house JD&R court in Executive Plaza, and if the city eventually does wipe out the building known as "Big Ugly" for redevelopment, that $1 million is wasted.

Greenlaw also says that issuing the bonds for the courts facility last year was the right time because of the low interest rate of 3.6 percent fixed for 25 years. She said this is a fixed-cost contract that includes the general district court and circuit court buildings, furniture, fixtures and equipment, as well as the purchase of the Savage parcel, renovating General District Court and Executive Plaza for the temporary spot of the Juvenile & Domestic Relations Courts.

Greenlaw said the gross inaccuracy is that Howe amortized additional costs that are already included in the contract. She said if the project was halted, the city already spent about $3.5 million, including the $1.025 million to buy the Salvage parcel.

Howe has said at forums and in fliers that the the city will pay much more than $36 million for the project and that the possible tax increase for residents could be 10 percent. According to city documents, the total amount of principal and interest is $54,838,103 paid over 25 years.

Paxson said Spotsylvania County built a new courthouse for far less money and it serves five times more residents.

Greenlaw says that the decision to keep the courts downtown was the result of 23 public meetings over the past six years.

Both Howe and Paxson have both said the City Council majority—Greenlaw, George Solley, Kerry Devine and Mayor Tom Tomzak—did not conduct a transparent, open-government process with the courts project.

Greenlaw said the reality is that the bonds have been sold and payments on the debt must be made even if the city does not build the courthouse. Delaying construction could increase costs.