SALEM — In the same week that all the relocated state courts are open for business inside the J. Michael Ruane Judicial Center, the city has received more good news on the court front.
The Probate and Family Court building, the neglected next-door neighbor on historic Federal Street, will be renovated.
"I'm very excited," said state Rep. John Keenan, who has worked closely with state officials on the project. "This is a big piece."
The fate of the 1909 Probate Court has been in limbo since state officials realized there was not enough money to complete their original plan: to build both the Ruane complex, which has 11 courtrooms and wound up costing $106 million, and also repair what is now Salem's only other court building still in use.
Last week, $1 million was allocated in the governor's five-year capital plan for the initial study of the Probate Court project.
That first-year funding, Keenan said, is the green light.
"Except for seeing the contractor out there doing the work, this is about as sure as you can get," he said.
The Division of Capital Asset Management, which oversees court building projects, issued a brief statement confirming the news: "The Patrick-Murray administration has committed $1 million in fiscal year 2012 in the five-year (2012-2016) capital investment plan for the planning and design phase for the renovation of the Probate and Family Court in Salem."
The study will also look at the scope of probate court services in Essex County and the facilities needed to handle them on Federal Street.
Although the estimated cost of renovations is $55 million, the final figure won't be determined until the study is done, officials said. In effect, the state plans to gut the existing building and do a complete renovation.
A former occupant of the building, the Southern Essex Registry of Deeds, moved out of several years ago and is now in Shetland Park.
If all goes well, Keenan said construction could start as early as 2013.
As for the new mega-court on Federal Street, the four state courts in Salem — Superior, District, Housing and Juvenile — were all moved in by Monday and open for business.
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