Second court beneficial

Diane Raver

May 06, 2008 10:52 am

— Last July, the most recent renovation of the Franklin County courthouse began. Now, 10 months later as the project is nearing completion, citizens and visitors will soon be able to view the facelift this historic 1850s building has received.
With the growth of the county, there is “more and more pressure on the court at all times,” reports Judge Clay Kellerman, who was appointed magistrate July 1, 2007, right around the time staff members were moving out of the second-floor offices and taking up residence in the courthouse annex.
Originally, the renovation was only going to allow for an elevator and new heating and air conditioning units to be installed in the building. However, Kellerman applied for a grant from the City of Lawrenceburg and received $700,000 for a new courtroom, renovation of the old courtroom and the creation of secure offices.
“This absolutely needed to be done,” he says. The courtroom was “not very useful the way it was arranged .... The big advantage is we now have a second court.” Other additions include a room to hold prisoners, conference rooms for attorneys and clients, to meet, a place for jury members to assemble, secure offices for the judges and staff and an updated sound system. The courtrooms will be more accessible to the public, the judge adds.
With the addition of the elevator, there will better access to the third floor, which will house a law library, and mechanical and storage rooms.
Other bonuses include the original decorative plaster ceiling being revealed and some of the original wooden furniture being returned to the courtroom.
County citizens are already reaping the benefits of the second court, remarks Judge Steven Cox of Franklin Circuit Court. “We’ve been hearing cases at an accelerated pace.”
Cox notes he asked Prosecutor Melvin Wilhelm last week “where we are on the docket with the 2006 cases,” and he responded that all of that year’s cases have been heard. “We are four months ahead of the normal trial schedule .... because usually these cases wouldn’t have been completed until the latter part of August or September.”
For the past 10 months, jury trials had to be held at the Franklin County Government Center. He emphasizes, “The commissioners and office holders in this building have been great .... It was an imposition for them to move according to our trial schedule .... We so appreciate the inneroffice cooperation.”
Both judges reveal some difficult moments they endured while in the annex. Kellerman recalls, “When we have our volume days, we might have 40 people in here .... This is not good for the attorneys ..... also, there was the inconvenience of moving recording equipment and books over to the government center” for a trial.
Cox remembers the cramped space conditions for initial hearings and limited seating for the public. However, both men are excited about moving into the newly renovated courthouse the week of May 12.
The judges are most proud of the fact that they were able to come up with a way to expand the court system and update the facilities and not affect the county’s taxpayers.
Cox is grateful to the City of Lawrenceburg for its grant. Kellerman says, “All the contractors did a great job .... They went out of their way to fix things that needed to be done even if it wasn’t in the bid.”
He emphasizes, “It’s nice to see the facilities completed .... This is something Franklin County citizens can be proud of.”
An open house will be scheduled later this summer.
Diane Raver can be contacted at 812-934-4343, Ext. 114; or diane.raver@ batesvilleheraldtribune.com. To comment on stories, visit batesvilleheraldtribune.com.