Tag Archives: Richard Mattice

Kentwood celebrates paying off Justice Center

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By: Mike DeWitt

 

The cake was cut and commemorative bottles were opened as the City of Kentwood celebrated paying off a 15-year, $10 million bond on the City’s Justice Center this past Friday. The celebration was led by Mayor Stephen Kepley and quickly handed off to the two men who put the plans together 15 years ago, Judge William Kelly and former Chief of Police Richard Mattice.

 

Justice Center GroundbreakingBefore the Justice Center was built, the Police Department and the District Court were housed in the Kentwood City Center. It was a cramped working environment that limited the productivity of both staffs.

 

“We were really cramped,” said Judge William Kelly. “One of our clerks in the court had to be put in the back of the courtroom, and that was also our city commission chambers.”

 

“Before [the Justice Center] was built, the police department used the City Center but also had two trailers that housed our detective bureau and our community services bureau,” said former Police Chief Richard Mattice. “Our locker rooms were across the street in the fire station.”

 

It was apparent that the court and the police department needed a new home, but how? Kentwood had never taken out a bond for a building before. For a city as fiscally conservative as Kentwood, it was a big step to take.

 

“The mayor promised the voters that if they approved the millage to hire more police officers, then the city would build a new facility without going to the public for another millage,” said Kelly.

 

Justice Center GroundbreakingSo, with that on the table, the millage was passed to hire more police officers and the city got to work on building a new facility. Planning started in August of 2000 with a groundbreaking ceremony quickly to follow on March 22, 2001.

 

Coming in at 60,000 square-feet, approximately 20,000 on the court side and 40,000 on the police side, the Justice Center added much-needed room for city employees to do their jobs.

 

“When we moved in here, we came from 5,200 square-feet to 41,000 square-feet,” said Mattice. “We had facilities to adequately meet the public which we didn’t have before.”

 

Kentwood Justice CenterIn the end, the Kentwood Justice Center was completed on time and on budget. 15 years later the building was paid off on time and is one of the reasons for the city’s AA+ bond rating – a rating very unusual for a city the size of Kentwood.

 

Another example of the City of Kentwood doing what is best for the community.

Kentwood celebrates paying off 15-year bond for Justice Center

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City of Kentwood has officially paid off its $10 million bond for the Justice Center.
City of Kentwood has officially paid off its $10 million bond for the Justice Center.

There are a couple of things that 62B District Court Judge William Kelly is proud of when it comes to the City of Kentwood’s Justice Center. One, that it was completed on budget and on time and two, the functionality of the facility.

 

“I wouldn’t trade this facility for any courthouse in West Michigan,” Kelly said.

 

And Kelly can add one more thing to that list: the city officially has paid off the $10 million bond issue within its 15-year time frame. To celebrate the achievement, there will be an open house Friday, May 6 at the Justice Center, 4740 Walma Ave. SE,  next to Kentwood City Hall.

 

“The city did it through financial prudence,” Kelly said about paying off the bond, adding that because of that Kentwood has earned AA+ bond rating, which is very rare for a municipality.

 

It was in the face of overcrowding and the need to add police officers to its city that then Mayor Bill Hardiman went to Kentwood residents and told them that if they approved a millage to add an additional 20 police officers to the current 50-member force, city officials would find a way to build the center that would house the 62B District Court and the Kentwood Police Department, according to Kelly.

 

The millage was approved and the Kentwood City Commission set about to do what had been promised.

 

“It was hard for the city commission,” said Kelly, who has served as the district judge for 37 years. “It was the first time the city had ever gone for a bond for a general obligation.”

 

The commission approved a $10 million bond for 15 years to be paid out of the general fund. Several key city officials were involved in the design of the new Justice Center including Kelly, former police chief Richard Mattice and former public works director Ron Woods, who was in charge of overseeing construction.

 

Before the Justice Center, the city had to rent trailers to house some staff from the police and finance departments. Within the current city hall, the former district court space became the city commission chambers and the former police department space became the mayor’s offices.

 

“We are thrilled to make the final payment for Kentwood’s Justice Center,” said Mayor Stephen Kepley. “Our citizens made a significant investment and we have ensured that the facility is paid off on schedule and is adequately maintained for the long-term benefit of the community.”

 

A couple of years later, the city would take out a $15 million bond for a new fire station and public works facility along with the remodeling of city hall and two other fire stations. In 2008, voters approved a library millage for the construction and maintenance needs of the current library facility, which was the last building within the city complex located off of Breton Avenue.