Courtroom expansion project planned at Washington County Courthouse
Work is expected to begin soon on the monumental task of constructing a seventh courtroom inside the Washington County Courthouse.
Court Administrator Patrick Grimm said there will be a “significant disturbance” in the courthouse with noise and construction equipment when the work is expected to begin in late spring or early summer.
“It’s a beautiful building. It’s a historic building. But there are a lot of challenges when you’re doing construction,” Grimm said.
Bids will be advertised soon and construction will hopefully be completed in about nine months. The project is expected to cost between $1 million and $1.2 million, although that figure also includes renovations to the chambers connected to Courtroom No. 6, which is currently occupied by Judge Michael Lucas. Funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act stimulus bill are earmarked to pay for construction, Grimm said.
The new courtroom will be constructed on the main floor of the building where the register of wills and prothonotary offices have traditionally been located. The register of wills moved into a first-floor office at the nearby Courthouse Square building in December, although it was not known when the prothonotary’s office would change locations.
Grimm said that first-floor space near the courthouse’s main entrance is the most obvious location since it could mirror other larger courtrooms in the building. He expects the new Courtroom No. 7 will be able to hold about 50 people in the gallery and offer modern technological amenities.
“It’s directly below Courtroom No. 1 and the chambers. So you could replicate that on the first floor,” Grimm said. “It’s the best location.”
But there are some complications due to the courthouse’s structure. Two large vaults in the former register of wills office will need to be removed, but a large steel beam will have to be installed in their place at the onset of construction since the vaults help to support the upper floors, Grimm said.
The noise and work from construction could temporarily displace some offices or judicial staffs, although it’s unclear to what degree.
The plans have been part of a multi-year process after a seventh judge was authorized for the county and Judge Traci McDonald-Kemp won election in 2019. Since that time, the county has been using its law library in the basement as a retrofitted courtroom. However, that is not a suitable option as a permanent solution, Grimm said.
McDonald-Kemp previously used the courtroom in the law library, while newly elected Judge Jesse Pettit is working there now. His chambers are two floors away, making it logistically cumbersome being separated so far from his staff during hearings. The ability to socially distance visitors and courthouse workers during the coronavirus pandemic has also made it difficult with different-size courtrooms.
“There’s been a lot of courtroom juggling,” Grimm said.
The county commissioners unanimously voted Feb. 17 to pay $80,600 to MacBracey Corp. of South Franklin Township for construction management services, which will be paid from the county’s ARPA stimulus funds. That hire will allow the bidding process to begin soon, Grimm said.
“A project this large, we need a construction manager,” Grimm said. “There will be a lot of day-to-day activity over several months.”