MAHONING COUNTY Courthouse fixes clutter

Most of the more than 800 boxes are filled with civil case files, the clerk said.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Hundreds of boxes of case files have disappeared this week from hallways in the Mahoning County Courthouse. But they're not missing; they've just been moved.
After years of cluttering halls on the courthouse's second floor and basement, the files are being stored in the adjacent county administration building. Clerk of Courts Anthony Vivo, who is responsible for the records, said it's been a long time coming.
"We've gotten no additional space in the last 10 or 15 years," Vivo said. "But cases keep getting filed at record pace year after year and we have to keep these files somewhere."
Vivo said more than 800 cardboard boxes, each crammed with case file folders, are being taken out of the courthouse where they've piled up over the past five or six years. They're being moved to rooms on the third floor of the administration building, which is the old county jail on West Boardman Street.
Citations
In the past, the city fire department has cited the county for the courthouse clutter, saying the accumulation of files in the halls was a fire hazard and could hinder an exodus from the building during an emergency.
Richard Malagisi, county facilities manager, said the county was cited more than once, but no punitive action ever was taken. Removing the files will eliminate the hazard, he said.
Vivo said the bulk of the files being moved are for civil cases because that's where the most significant caseload increase has been.
In 1990, there were 2,955 civil cases filed in common pleas court, Vivo said. That increased to 3,382 in 2000 and 4,688 last year.
"We're actually on pace to be over 5,000 civil cases by the end of this year," Vivo said.
Criminal cases also have been on the increase, from 978 in 1990 to 1,294 in 2000 and 1,639 last year. Vivo said this year's total will probably top out at a record.
Vivo said he can't destroy the records because they haven't yet been copied onto microfilm for permanent storage, as required by state law.
"Ohio is still very conservative when it comes to court records," Vivo said. "We have to keep these things around for a while."
He said having them stored in the next building will make it a little less convenient for people who need the records, but they still will be nearby and accessible.
bjackson@vindy.com