Jan 6, 2020 2 min read

Reinstate the main courthouse entrance

As we begin a new year in Washington County with a new judge, a new configuration of commissioners, and a new push to revitalize Main Street, it is my hope that our beautiful Washington County Courthouse will become a priority. This stately, historical, public landmark currently stands disgraced, surrounded by a construction fence that suggests to any passerby that it is in some disrepair. Decades have showcased this grand building with its broad stairs as the strong seat of justice in Washington County, but recent local governmental decisions have debased this.

As our local officials attempted to address the county’s expanding needs with the quick, rash purchase of a nearby building, what followed was a sequence of abysmal decisions resulting in the shuttering of the main entrance of our county courthouse. Now, instead of the awe-inspiring walk through the strong wooden doors of this stately building, everyone is relegated to the side alley entrance so that the county could move the existing front entrance security to the newly acquired building. Unfortunately, metal detectors are a needed presence in the courthouse, but fences are not.

If the need exists for additional security with the nearby building, then it should be added; it never should have been taken away from the main courthouse entrance. Certainly our local elected officials are capable of finding a way to be fiscally responsible that would allow the main entrance to securely reopen so that the courthouse may continue to exude dignity, integrity, and beauty in a safe manner to serve all residents, allowing everyone the ability to walk through its front doors as originally intended.

My hope is that 2020 will bring stronger vision and problem-solving to Washington County that will result in the removal of the unsightly construction fence and the reinstatement of a functional main courthouse entrance.

Diane Ecker

Washington