A Shaky Old Affair
A grand jury inspection of the Yakima county jail and courthouse leads to a scathing critique of the current facilities and a call for a new building.
We have examined the county jail and find it is kept in a clean and neat manner. We also desire to call your attention to the fact that the present courthouse is inadequate to meet the demands of this growing community. We respectfully recommend and urge that a special election be ordered to vote to build a commodious courthouse and to build a jail. We think that a courthouse should be built that would cost not less than $50,000, and we recommend that the jail be built separate and apart from the courthouse. Furthermore, upon investigation relative to an indictment found by the last grand jury and reported missing, we censure the clerk for gross negligence in not properly caring for papers entrusted to him.
“The present courthouse is not only inadequate in size and convenience, but it is a shaky old affair and is not considered any too safe when crowded with people.”
The struggle for adequate public infrastructure is a constant in city history. This early push for a modern courthouse mirrors current debates about the necessity and cost of civic building projects in a growing Yakima.
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