County plans to purchase building across Main St. from courthouse
Washington Countians will be electing a seventh judge next year, and when that person takes the oath of office in early January 2020, he or she will immediately need a courtroom.
The 120-year-old courthouse was built with two main courtrooms, so something’s got to give.
At least one commissioner did not seem very happy Wednesday as the county prepared to purchase “Caldwell’s Building,” which is written in stone on the facade of 26 S. Main St. Between the years 1873 and 1900, it was a local department store. The building stands across the street from the courthouse.
At a closing Nov. 9, the county plans to pay $370,000 to George Sprowls, the building’s current owner.
Scott Fergus, Washington County director of administration, introduced the agenda item with the words, “This is all because of the new judge.”
Commission Chairman Larry Maggi added, “because of that extra judge that was thrown on us without any input, which is going to cost taxpayers a million dollars.”
In Pennsylvania, judges’ salaries are borne by all taxpayers, but other associated costs fall to county government.
More recently, the address has been known as the Sprowls Professional Building. It formerly housed Wesley Spectrum Services and the law offices of Goldfarb, Posner, Beck, DeHaven and Drewitz, the firm of county solicitor J. Lynn DeHaven.
Because of the county’s population, Washington is on the verge of “graduating” from fourth-class status to a county of the third class.
The state Legislature last year, because of the size of the Washington County caseload, approved the addition of a seventh judge to the county bench.
County purchasing director Randy Vankirk said the reconfiguration of the courthouse to accommodate Courtroom No. 7 is still being studied, and it’s highly unlikely that someone will be hearing a tipstaff intone, “The Court of Washington County is now in session,” inside the 26 S. Main storefront.
It’s probable that a court-related office will be making the move.
Vankirk noted after the meeting that the lowest floor of the building has a loading dock on Schaeffer Avenue and that each floor has its own security system.
Washington County’s population stands at about 208,000. Third-class counties have between 210,000 and 499,999 residents. In Western Pennsylvania, both Westmoreland and Erie counties are of the third class.