Bankruptcy Courts move across street

Jace Radke

Wednesday, May 8, 2002 | 9:44 a.m.

The normally quiet halls of the George Federal Building are going to get busier this summer, with two Bankruptcy Courts scheduled to move into the building while the nearby Foley Federal Building is renovated.

About 75 people and hundreds of pounds of files, paperwork and office supplies will make the move across Las Vegas Boulevard Aug. 8-11, U.S. Bankruptcy Court administrator Patricia Gray said.

"We're hoping to do the move in stages and we're planning to continue to have all our services available," Gray said.

The $27 million renovation of the 35-year-old Foley Federal Building was approved by Congress in 2001. Much of the interior of the building will be gutted, and electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning improvements will be made, Gray said.

Three elevators will be renovated and the building's roof will be replaced, according to plans. Even though the renovation is scheduled to take two years, finding temporary space at the more than 400,000-square-foot George Federal Building isn't a problem, Court Administrator Lance Wilson said.

"Currently we have eight courtrooms, and we're building two more on the fourth floor for the bankruptcy judges," Wilson said. "Right now we have the U.S. attorneys sandwiched in on the fourth and fifth floors, but they will eventually move to another facility.

"We have the space to add eight more courtrooms, so this building will last us for the next 30 to 50 years."