Officials hope courthouse will open in spring

The renovations at the village’s much-anticipated new courthouse, at 195 Rockaway Ave., are expected to be completed sometime next spring, according to the latest assessment by the Valley Stream board of trustees.

“Are we ever going to see a completed building?” asked Trustee Vincent Grasso at the board’s meeting on Monday. “I mean, do we have a timeline on that?”

Mayor Ed Fare called the progress “steady,” and explained that the board opted to use its employees instead of an outside contractor, which is slower but cheaper. “We’re doing most of the work with our employees, during the day,” he said. “My feeling is, we don’t have a gun to our head with the courtroom [at Village Hall] functioning.”

Fare said he stops by the site every week. “Restorations are probably more money than building something from scratch,” he said, adding that the building would boast a modern sprinkler system, fire alarm system, elevator and new windows.

Building Superintendent Tom McAleer said that the courtroom’s furniture, windows and lift would arrive within eight weeks, and the only remaining work would be installation.

The village originally bonded $1.2 million for the project, according to Treasurer Michael Fox. Subsequent costs brought the price tag to $1.4 million, including $38,000 in insurance for electrical repairs due to water damage in the basement. McAler said that a new roof would be the last significant work needed, and that it would likely be done next summer.

Fare said that he has been satisfied that the building’s upstairs has been in use “since day one” as office space for village workers. “It’s not a dormant, empty building — I’m at peace,” he said.

Deputy Mayor Dermond Thomas suggested showing off the renovations once they are complete. “Just make sure we have some tours for the public after we finish,” he said.