The debate about the future of Gloucester's municipal buildings includes one element out of the city's control: the fate of Gloucester District Court.
The small courthouse serving Cape Ann from the second floor of the Gloucester police station is one of several Massachusetts district courts the state is strongly considering moving to save money.
"They are suggesting to us they can't support all of the ones we have," state Sen. Bruce Tarr said yesterday of his meetings with court officials. "They have been looking at them with an eye on case load. They said it was their preference not to close, but they are backed into a corner."
After Gov. Deval Patrick released a 2011 budget proposal for next year that could cut as much as $10 million from the court system, trial court officials assembled a task force to examine court locations with an eye toward savings.
What they've found — according to Tarr and Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, who met with court officials last month — is that Gloucester District Court in recent years has had one of the lowest caseloads in the region, putting it on the list of courts that may be moved elsewhere.
"They said they are reviewing the data and Gloucester is one of the courts that they may have to transfer," Ferrante said. "If the governor's number held, they said that it is what they were looking at."
The obvious place to move the district court is to Salem, where a new courthouse is being built on Federal Street and scheduled to be finished next year.
But some have suggested the state will not be able to wait that long — and may move as early as this summer. Some have said the court could even move temporarily to Peabody before settling in Salem.
Both Ferrante and Tarr said court officials had not mentioned a move to Peabody.
Calls to the state Administrative Office of the Trial Court yesterday were not returned.
The current courthouse-police station building is owned by the city, which leases the second floor to the state court system — rent-free, though the state pays for maintenance.
As the city has begun considering building a new fire and police station, many have suggested that having the court leave could actually be a good thing.
The courthouse has sweeping views of Gloucester Harbor, and the building's location between Main Street and Harbor Loop has been a favorite location for those dreaming of a downtown hotel.
As a whole, the police station-courthouse building is in poor condition, especially the lower levels and police area. The wide steps leading from the courthouse down to Rogers Street and the waterfront are also crumbling.
The talk of consolidation comes after Ipswich District Court moved to Newburyport.
Both Tarr and Ferrante said that, despite its shortcomings, they will work to keep the district court in Gloucester.
Ferrante said she was concerned about asking crime victims or people seeking restraining orders from having to make a train journey to Salem.
Tarr said he also wants to keep as many resources in downtown Gloucester as possible.
"I think the court is an important resource for the community," Tarr said. "If we can avoid having it removed as a feature of our downtown, we should."
Patrick Anderson can be reached at 978-283-7000, x3455, or panderson@gloucestertimes.com.
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