District magistrate takes up temporary ‘digs’ in Charleroi
CALIFORNIA – If you need to see District Justice William Pelkey of California, you’ll need to drive to Charleroi. Pelkey is temporarily sharing the offices of District Justice Larry Hopkins while he waits for his regular office on Wood Street to be repaired. Pelkey and his three-person staff were driven from the office last week when a roof leak caused ceiling tiles to fall and water to flood the office.
Pelkey initially moved to the California Borough Building, but despite the hospitality of the borough, Pelkey said he couldn’t continue to operate there.
“We needed access to the computers,” Pelkey said.
According to the Washington County Court Administrator’s office, moving the state computer system isn’t easy and rarely happens quickly. Sally Michalski, the assistant court administrator, said the state wants at least six weeks notice before moving a computer system.
Pelkey said he uses the Charleroi office on the days when Hopkins is off and in the evenings from 4:00 until 10:30. They are not taking a meal break during the evening hours. Only one of Pelkey’s staff members can work in the office during the day. The other two carry out the routine business, including entering cases into the computer system, during the evening hours. Pelkey said they will receive shift differential in their pay.
“My staff is competent. They’ll get through it,” Pelkey said of the inconvenience. “It’s just something we have to live with temporarily. I anticipate backlogs.
“I just feel that so many people are being inconvenienced. I apologize to everybody,” Pelkey said.
Pelkey said he doesn’t know how long he’ll be out of his regular office.
“I was in the building the other day and I don’t see any changes. The bucket full of water is still in the middle of the hallway. They didn’t even empty the bucket,” Pelkey said.
The county officials are also looking into the possibility of moving Pelkey to a new facility in the long run, even though he still has several years on his current lease. The office has been plagued by a series of problems, including a utility shut-off, a flooded basement and the roof leak, in recent months. Pelkey said people joke with him when they run into him in local stores, with lines like “Let me get you a hardhat,” or “Do you need a wet suit?” Pelkey said he takes it all in stride and hopes things change soon.
“We all want it to come back to normal. It gets frustrating sometimes,” Pelkey said.