Superintendent Suzanne Lewis announced today that the park would again solicit public comments on the issues and alternatives to be considered in the planning process for the construction of a proposed federal courthouse (hereafter referred to as the Justice Center) in the Mammoth Hot Springs area of Yellowstone National Park. An initial public scoping done in May of 2002 resulted in a total of 7 comment letters, most generally supportive of the project. Much progress has occurred in the project's development since that time. This second public scoping period provides updates on the proposed project and again solicits public comment.

The proposed Justice Center would be located in Mammoth Hot Springs at the beginning of the "Esplanade," the formal entry into Mammoth from the North Entrance Road. This site is within the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District and adjacent to the Fort Yellowstone National Historic Landmark District, both listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The building would include a courtroom, judge's chambers, interview rooms, anteroom, temporary holding facility (five cells), law enforcement offices, and evidence and records storage areas. The building would be two stories high and would include an attic and partial basement for a total of approximately 17,000 square feet. The proposed building footprint would be approximately 5,700 square feet and would include a one-story sallyport-a garage-like building that would allow law enforcement personnel to safely transfer a prisoner from a vehicle into the Justice Center. Secure parking would be provided for National Park Service, U.S. Courts, and U.S. Marshal Service employees behind the building. The public would utilize existing parking along the esplanade.

The existing courthouse is located north of the Albright Visitor Center in the historic U.S. Engineer's Office, commonly called the "Pagoda," in Mammoth Hot Springs. Built in 1903, the Pagoda houses the U.S. Magistrate's office, a courtroom, and the NPS North District ranger operations. The building is approximately 4,000 square feet in size but only 262 square feet is available for the courtroom. There are no rooms available for defendants to meet with their attorneys or for witnesses to wait for hearings. Facilities are grossly inadequate in terms of space and security. Because of space and design limitations of the existing building, there is no cost-effective way to retrofit the current facility's physical security or available space to comply with existing federal requirements for courthouses.

The Mammoth jail was built in 1911 as a "new guardhouse" for the Army and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The building is in poor condition on the interior and exterior and does not meet safety, security, or building codes. Additionally, there are only two holding cells in the jail. By law, juveniles must be housed separately from adults, and men and women must also be separately housed. The current facility does not have any separation; thus prisoners requiring separate housing must be transported to other facilities. The cost of retrofitting the existing jail would exceed the cost of building a new jail. Furthermore, because the jail is historic, it may not be physically possible to bring the building up to standards without compromising its historic integrity.

Crimes committed in Yellowstone National Park are federal offenses, and the park is within the District of Wyoming with an assigned U.S. Magistrate. The courthouse in Mammoth is used for initial appearances, arraignments, and trials for persons accused of crimes within the park. All such procedures must be conducted within the District (state) of Wyoming.

Criminal activity has increased significantly in Yellowstone during the last twenty years. The U.S. Magistrate in Yellowstone National Park has the highest volume of cases in the Wyoming District, with 375 docketed court cases in 2002 (210 persons appeared in court), and approximately 600 docketed court cases for 2003. The park expects that Yellowstone law enforcement rangers and special agents will issue more than 5,000 citations and make more than 250 physical arrests in 2003.

To assist the National Park Service with the preparation of the environmental assessment for the Justice Center project, you are invited to comment on the known issues or to identify additional concerns that you may have. Please write to:

Planning Office
Justice Center Project
P.O. Box 168
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 82190

Comments are due by January 05, 2004.

Information provided by the NPS

Comments or Suggestions are Welcome. Send To: John@Yellowstone-Natl-Park.Com. Thank You!