New Northeast courthouse in Hurst opens for business Monday

Taking care of business with the government is generally no fun, but at least the ambiance will improve in Northeast Tarrant County, as a new, $13 million courthouse opens Monday.

At 8 a.m., the Tarrant County Northeast Courthouse opens for business. Customers can pay property taxes, get car titles or pick up birth certificates at the new 42,000-square-foot building.

The new two-story building replaces one that served Northeast Tarrant communities for about 40 years.

“We can offer significantly more services, more efficiently to more people,” said Tarrant County Commissioner Gary Fickes. “In our old facility, we were just totally maxed out and were probably maxed about 15 years ago — or 10 years ago — so this gives us an opportunity to serve the citizens better.”

It sits on the same 5.5-acre property at 645 Grapevine Highway in Hurst, tucked into the Precinct 3 part of the county. The location is convenient to residents in Hurst, Euless, Bedford, Keller, Southlake, Grapevine and Colleyville.

The new building houses Fickes’ office as well as those of the tax assessor, county clerk, constable Precinct 3 and justice of the peace Precinct 3.

The building has a computer station for citizens to use, a tax office with double the space of the old one and community room with more space during elections and meetings.

“I think it is a magnificent addition to the Highway 26 corridor,” said Hurst Mayor Richard Ward. “The whole area seems uplifted when you drive Highway 26.”

No bonds issued

Northeast Tarrant County has been one of the fastest-growing areas in North Texas, Fickes said. Much of the growth was driven by families moving into communities with strong schools, he said.

“That’s what brought people to Northeast Tarrant County — the quality of life and the education that is available out here,” he said.

But growing pains were evident at the previous subcourthouse, where there wasn’t enough parking and visitors knew to expect long waits.

“There would be a long line to get a car title,” said Howard Shotwell, a Hurst resident who lives about half a mile from the Northeast Courthouse.

Fickes said, “We would literally have to take folding chairs outside of the tax office for elderly to have a seat as they waited to get in. In the old building, that was outside in the cold.”

The former courthouse was built in the 1970s and was simply too small to accommodate the current flow of customers, said Fickes.

The county saved money for six years before starting construction last year.

“There is no debt on this building,” Fickes said.

Fickes said the county is not increasing the number of employees.

“This building will serve our constituents a lot better,” he said, adding that the new building will be used for the next 75 to 100 years.

A peek inside

Parking isn’t expected to be an issue anymore — the new courthouse has 300 spaces, up from 166.

A formal celebration and ribbon cutting are planned for Jan. 23, but customers don’t have to wait until then to step inside.

At the courthouse entrance, the same sunset red granite used for Tarrant County’s downtown courthouse decorates portions of the walls. Inside, the building smells of new paint and new carpet.

Visitors can get a history lesson from a wall in the main lobby hung with photos and brief summaries of times past in Northeast Tarrant County. Elsewhere in the building, 22 modern photos show cities in Precinct 3.

Fickes said the county is working with the U.S. State Department to determine whether it can offer passport services in the future.

Community reaction

Until Thursday, when county employees moved into the new courthouse, customers were directed to a temporary location in Bedford at 201 Harwood Road or to the Southlake county offices at Southlake Town Square.

“The interim was not fun,” said Shotwell, adding that employees and customers made the most of the situation.

Hurst City Manager Allan Weegar said the new building will help revitalization efforts along the Grapevine Highway corridor.

“It really gives it a nice feel,” he said.

This story was originally published December 7, 2014 at 6:00 AM with the headline "New Northeast courthouse in Hurst opens for business Monday."