Officials hope to reopen Washington Co. Courthouse’s front entrance by fall
Main doors have been closed since before COVID-19 pandemic
Mike Jones
Washington County officials are once again working to throw open the front doors to the courthouse with hopes the main entrance can be used by the public as soon as October.
The county this week put out requests for bids to refurbish the “historical” courthouse doors on the front portico as the first step in the process to reopen the entrance that has been closed since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I fully support doing that,” commission Chairman Nick Sherman said. “We’ve had conversations in the past about this. I think it’s good for the commerce in downtown Washington with the flow of the courthouse going through the (front) doors … and it’s a better look for the city of Washington.”
The front entrance has been closed since December 2019 when the granite slabs beneath the portico were replaced, moving the main entryway and security screening area to West Cherry Alley in the corridor between the courthouse and Family Court Center. While that change was expected to be temporary, the COVID-19 pandemic soon hit and temporary capacity restrictions were put in place at the courthouse to encourage social distancing. Most recently, the front entrance was used as a staging area while crews built the seventh courtroom, which was completed in late 2023, allowing for the protective fencing to be removed.
While county officials broached the idea of opening the front entrance last May, the movement lost traction as security concerns were raised with sheriff’s deputies being required to monitor two entrances, along with the logistics of the screening area.
But Sherman said the commissioners want to reopen the front entrance and have the support of President Judge Gary Gilman, who is retiring next month, and Judge Valarie Costanzo, who will become the courthouse’s new president judge on July 7.
“This is the decision of the president judge, whether they want the front door open,” Sherman said. “There is a desire to have the front door open, so we’re going to try to have everything in order for that.”
Washington County Sheriff Tony Andronas said he expects to hold meetings with county and courthouse officials to review his security concerns and the logistics of having deputies stationed at two entrances.
“I expect we would all have a sit-down (meeting) to discuss the security of the front doors and our concerns,” Andronas said.
Sherman said they are targeting October for the reopening, although it’s not clear how realistic that timeline might be to refurbish the doors and work out the security logistics. The work on the doors must be done in accordance with the historic nature of the courthouse, which could be meticulous, costly and time-consuming.
“The courthouse is a historical landmark building (so) it’s not as easy as going to Home Depot and putting two (new) doors on the building,” Sherman said. “They’re massive, weighing thousands of pounds each. You have to make sure you keep the aesthetics of the door. It’s a lengthy process to find a custom woodshop to customize the doors to do that. It’s a costly endeavor.”
While Sherman’s push last year to reopen the front entrance ultimately stalled, he expects it will move forward this year with renewed interest from the county’s leadership.
“There is a desire to see this open,” Sherman said. “There have been roadblocks in the past, but we’d like to see this happen.”