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Thursday, August 03, 2006
Ind. Courts - Vigo County Clerk’s office relocates, but not without controversy
The Terre Haute Tribune-Star reports, in a story by Howard Greninger:
The Vigo County Courthouse will close its doors to the public Friday as workers move the county clerk’s office to a new location as part of the building’s $10.5 million interior renovation.Courts will be closed since the clerk’s office is a integral part of the court system, said Clerk Patricia Mansard.
When the courthouse reopens Monday, public access no longer will be from the north side of the courthouse, but from its permanent new entrance on the west side, facing Terre Haute’s City Hall.
The move is not without controversy, as Mansard has misgivings over functionality and use of space for her office. Much of the clerk’s office will be moved to the ground level from the second floor, while some offices will be moved back to the second floor as the renovation project nears completion.
Today, the clerk’s marriage license office and the absentee voter office will be relocated to the ground level. On Friday, the main office, administration office and the election services for the clerk’s office are moving to the ground floor.
“This is a large, complex office,” Mansard said. “We have all kinds of computer systems, those that are linked to the statewide voter registration, to a judicial computer system, and the state child support system.
“It is more than just a few desks and packing up personal belongings. We also have massive amounts of records,” the clerk said.
Mansard said she “had never been offered the opportunity” to talk to county commissioners about functionality of space, adding her new office will be spread throughout several floors of the courthouse.
“We have talked to the architect and that was a long time ago. I think [the architect] was under the impression that under a record scanning project that all records would go away and we would not need space for records,” the clerk said.
“I appreciate that this is a massive undertaking, but I think treating people with respect and trying to communicate could go a long way in ensuring the project works out well,” Mansard said.
Vigo County Commissioner Paul Mason said the clerk, as well as county judges, have been included in previous meetings about the interior project. To make room for a new sixth court, Mason said, the clerk’s office was moved to the ground floor, called the first floor.
“The first floor is the most convenient location for the public to just walk into the courthouse, do their business in the clerk’s office and leave,” Mason said.
The clerk’s office will gain nearly 2,000 square feet of office space when renovation is complete, plus a heated and cooled storage space on the fifth floor, said John M. Hanley, operations manager for Construction Technology Associates, overseeing the renovation project.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on August 3, 2006 06:58 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts