Design changes reached the apex of absurdity when judges requested the air-conditioning system be altered to blow cooler air above their benches and in their chambers. The judges wanted cooling to 68 degrees, despite a state law making 72 degrees the lowest cooling temperature for new construction. Before the year was over, the state stepped in and demanded answers. At the urging of Assemblyman George Runner, the Joint Legislative Audit Committee ordered the state auditor to investigate and follow the money trail. The investigation is expected to be completed early in 1998.
Critics say the number is actually much higher.
As the price rose, the size of the building actually shrank. County officials accepted, then rejected for myriad reasons, several architectural designs, causing more delays and additional expenses. The building has been designed and completely redesigned at least three times, as judges and county department representatives changed their minds about the building's amenities. The disputed billing and subsequent legal turmoil destroyed his architectural business, Kudrave said. In 1993 the Internal Services Department discovered it failed to budget the project correctly.