Courthouse is
inadequate,
but...

The Columbus County Courthouse is woefully inadequate, as evidenced by a recent tour given by Clerk of Court Sheila Pridgen and a report by the Administrative Office of the Courts, but for the foreseeable future, it will simply have to do.

Pridgen pointed out numerous problems: a jury room that often hits 80 degrees, a deteriorating and uneven floor, condensation in the light fixtures and cramped quarters for the district attorney’s offices and Pridgen’s staff. A fire would be an unmitigated disaster because many valuable records aren’t in fire safes.

Ceiling tiles collapsed in the judges’ chamber recently. As Judge Gregory Weeks indicated during this week’s murder trial, the courthouse doesn’t come close to meeting the needs of the judicial system.

Yet, the county has barely enough cash to operate in the black during the current fiscal year.

One firm has said it can provide a “present conditions” study for $65,000 to show where the problems are, but why spend money to say what we already know?

We suspect that it would cost between $10 million to $15 million to build a modest new courthouse. That’s money the county doesn’t have.

Short-term, an inspection needs to be done and money found to make sure that basic safety concerns are met – no more ceilings nearly falling on judges.

The clerk of court and district attorney should also provide projections of how much space they need for record storage and staff needs. No matter how many repairs are done, the square footage of the building isn’t going to increase.

Next, as we’ve suggested before, the county needs to initiate and protect a capital projects fund, especially for a new courthouse.

The county doesn’t need and can’t afford a new Taj Mahal courthouse, but it also doesn’t need a building that would be an embarrassment either.

That the courthouse has served the county for 92 years is a testament to its construction. It could still be a valuable public building if preserved, but it has outlived its usefulness as a courthouse.

It might be 10 years in the making, but all parties involved in the judicial system should start planning for a new courthouse now and ensure that the commissioners begin setting aside money next fiscal year to make sure it happens.