Commissioners look at courtroom project

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

A project that has been in the planning stages for more than two decades could come to fruition if some additional money can be found for the project.

Van Wert County Common Pleas Judge Charles D. Steele and architect Bruce Miller of Minster-based Garmann/Miller Associates met with Commissioners Gary Adams, Clair Dudgeon and Thad Lichtensteiger Tuesday afternoon concerning a courtroom renovation project for which planning was first begun by Judge Steele’s predecessor, Sumner E. Walters.

The project would include reconstructing the stained glass dome above the court, which has been covered by a suspended ceiling for several decades. The stained glass work alone would likely cost more than $150,000.

Judge Steele noted that, while the courtroom and dome above it was “done right” when the courthouse was constructed back in 1876, the building wasn’t properly maintained over the years, resulting in problems with the original stained glass, which was removed sometime in the 1950s. That’s also when the suspended ceiling was likely installed.

Judge Steele noted that, due to existing state legislation, money from court fees has been earmarked for special projects since he became judge more than a decade ago. That fund now totals $384,833.24, the judge noted, but approximately $71,000 of that amount pays the annual cost of the court’s magistrate, mediation and education programs, as well as travel expenses, leaving in excess of $313,000 for the project.

With the renovation project estimated at $354,000, there would not be enough money in the fund alone to pay for the project at the present time, Judge Steele said.

Another problem is that collections for the special fund were down in December 2010, from an average of $10,000 a month for most of last year to $5,082 in December 2010. Judge Steele said he was concerned that, if that trend would continue, the special projects money wouldn’t even bring in enough annually to pay for the magistrate, mediation and other costs now being paid from the fund.

Although Miller said he feels the project, if bid in the near future, would likely come in lower than the current estimate – possibly as much as $20,000 less – because of the economy, that would still be more than the money available in the special projects fund.

“I think if you move forward with this, you’ll see some good numbers,” Miller said.

Miller told the commissioners that the project would likely take from eight months to a year to complete, although that doesn’t mean the courtroom would have to be vacant that long. Judge Steele said that, to avoid moving computers and other items and incurring further expense on the project, he would talk to Van Wert Municipal Court Judge Jill Leatherman and Probate-Juvenile Court Judge Rex Fortney to see whether he could use their courtrooms for criminal hearings and any trial that would arise during the construction period.

The judge noted that he normally only conducts five or six criminal trials a year.

A possible solution to the financing conundrum would be to renovate the lighting and heating systems and replace windows on the entire third floor of the courthouse, rather than just the Common Pleas courtroom, which could bring in some federal or state financing – hopefully enough to pay the remaining cost of the project.

Miller said he would do some more research on possible funding on the project and another meeting would be set up in the future to report on what he has found.