Even in a scaled-down version, a planned new Family Court and juvenile detention center at Kapolei will require another $15.5 million to complete, Chief Justice Ronald Moon said yesterday.

Lawmakers approved $95 million for the project in 2005, but that's not enough to complete the project even in its reduced form, Moon told lawmakers in his biennial State of the Judiciary address yesterday at the state Capitol.

Legislators last year rejected a request for another $48 million to cover what the judiciary said were escalating construction costs in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

As a result, the project was scaled back, but Moon yesterday asked for the $15.5 million to complete work on the scaled-down version with three courtrooms and secure holding cells.

The target date for completion of the project is October 2009, according to the judiciary.

State lawmakers indicated they'll give the request a fair hearing, but that it's too early to say whether they will approve the chief justice's request.

"We're going to consider it," state Sen. Shan Tsutsui, vice chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, said. "We're going to scrutinize it, too."

Tsutsui, D-4th (Kahului), said he hopes lawmakers will get "a better handle on what the $15 million is for."

Although lawmakers rejected the $48 million last year, they approved $6 million for the judiciary to purchase four acres for future expansion of the facility.

State Rep. Marcus Oshiro, D-39th (Wahiawa), chairman of the House Finance Committee, said lawmakers understand the need for the facility, but he also indicated that he hopes this will be the final request from the judiciary.

"A final decision has to be made and we hope it's this year," he said.

The judiciary initially had planned a 260,000-square-foot Family Court complex, but scaled it down to 120,000. The new juvenile detention center would be reduced from 70,000 to 52,300 square feet.

Moon yesterday told lawmakers that with increasing construction costs, he reluctantly approved a redesign of the juvenile facility that now has 68 beds instead of the 78 originally planned.

The construction of two of 12 non-jury courtrooms, one jury courtroom, and secure holding cells would have to be delayed unless the $15.5 million is approved, Moon said.

In addition, Moon asked the Legislature to create two more positions for Family Court judges.

The Family Court is currently housed on the second floor of the Circuit Court building on Punchbowl Street.

Reach Ken Kobayashi at kkobayashi@honoluluadvertiser.com.