MAHONING CO. COURTHOUSE Will judges' quests lead to space battle?

Judges will decide who gets space being vacated by the county prosecutor's office.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County's judges are trying to solve one of the county's most vexing problems, and it has nothing to do with the law.
They're trying to decide how to divvy up space in the courthouse in a way that will best meet the needs of the building's tenants.
"The priorities right now are to find more room for the [7th District] court of appeals and finding a courtroom for me," said Judge James C. Evans of common pleas court.
The courthouse, on the west side of Market Street between Boardman and Front streets, houses the five common pleas judges, the court assignment office and jury commission, domestic relations court, probate court and the court of appeals.
It also is home to the clerk of courts, auditor, treasurer, recorder and the county law library.
The prosecutor's office has occupied much of the third floor for years, but is in the process of relocating to the adjacent county administration building, which was the former county jail.
Staking claim
The five common pleas general division judges filed a judgment entry in December, staking their claim to that space once it is vacated. The judges say they need the space for consolidation of their administrative offices, which are scattered across several floors in the building.
Less than a week after that order was filed, Judge Beth A. Smith of domestic relations court also filed an order saying she was taking over part of the space. Judge Smith said she wants to relocate her magistrates and other court services to the third floor from the basement.
The matter had been dormant this year because of delays in moving the prosecutor's office out of the building. Now that the move is under way, judges are getting serious about deciding who will get the space.
"We are continuing to negotiate and hopefully reach a meeting of the minds about the best use of this building," said Judge Jack Durkin of common pleas court. "I'm optimistic that it can be accomplished without a war of journal entries."
The court of appeals, on the fourth floor, has long complained that it needs more office space. Several attempts to find space outside the courthouse have failed, so the court has turned its attention to looking for more space in the courthouse.
Architect hired
The court has hired an architect to develop a space allocation plan that would meet the needs of all the courts, not just the court of appeals.
Judge Smith said the judges will hold off making any decisions until they see the architect's proposal.
Judge Evans, who presides over a small courtroom on the third floor, said it's crucial that he be moved into a full-size courtroom. "With what I've got to do here, this is just ridiculous. It really is," he said.
His courtroom has extremely limited seating capacity for spectators. During criminal jury trials, alternate jurors are forced to sit on chairs outside the jury box, often getting in the way of witnesses on their way to and from the witness stand.
bjackson@vindy.com