Wednesday, April 26, 2006
LISBON -- Columbiana County's two common pleas courts will relocate effective May 22 while the courtrooms are repaired and renovated.
Judge C. Ashley Pike's court will be located in the Charles C. Pike Juvenile Justice Center, 260 W. Lincoln Way. Judge Pike will have some administrative personnel remain in the courthouse.
Judge David Tobin's court will relocate to the Columbiana County Municipal Court, 38832 Saltwell Road. All activities will move to the new county court.
Telephone numbers and court schedules will not change.
Domestic relations courts on the second floor of the courthouse will not move. They are located in the eastern portion of the courthouse's second floor. The common pleas courts are located in the western portion.
The walls of the courthouse have been damaged by the courthouse's often-leaky roof.
$2.7 million project
The county commissioners already have approved the $2.7 million renovation project. It will be financed through a low-cost, 30-year loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Special court and other fees will help repay the loan.
Court Administrator Amy Ondrejko said many of the courthouse windows will either be rebuilt or replaced if needed because of weathering.
Jury rooms also will be improved. The work will include repairing the water damage to the courtroom walls.
In the courtrooms, modern false ceilings and modern partitions will be removed. New modern lighting will be added although it will have to "look old" because the courthouse is in a designated historical district. The work may be completed in nine to 18 months.