Dec 26, 2018 2 min read

A few months ago, it appeared Washington County, anticipating the addition of a seventh judge in 2020, was ready to purchase a building to relieve a courthouse bursting at the seams.

But closing on the county’s $370,000 purchase of the Caldwell Building at 26 S. Main St., across from the courthouse, originally scheduled for early November, has not taken place.

“The commissioners are still considering it,” said county solicitor J. Lynn DeHaven. “We are, with the assistance of Mr. (George) Sprowls, continuing to explore the purchase.”

Sprowls is the current owner of the building.

Commission Chairman Larry Maggi said, “We’re still exploring our options and making sure that building is going to suit our needs.”

Because of burgeoning dockets and other paper records that must be preserved, Maggi said the ability of floors to bear heavy loads, electrical layout and security are some of the areas that the county is examining.

DeHaven’s law office moved last year from the second floor of the building, which bears the name Caldwell from its previous use as a local department store. More recently, it has been called the Sprowls Professional Building.

“Our leaving had nothing to do with any of this,” DeHaven said. “We had too much space over there.” The firm, formerly five lawyers, is down to two.

A seventh judge’s position will be on the ballot in 2019, and the person elected will take the oath of office and need a courtroom with office space in the beginning of January 2020.

The state Legislature last year, because of the size of the Washington County caseload, approved the addition of a seventh judge to the county bench.

It’s probable that a court-related office or offices, rather than a courtroom, will be making a move should the commissioners decide to go that route.

Patrick Grimm, Washington County Court administrator, pointed to the Administrative Office for Pennsylvania Courts’ “Common Pleas Judicial Needs Assessment” that studied time, population and caseloads from 2014-16.

The study determined “total judge demand” for Washington County requires nine jurists.

Grimm said Friday, “The court, and certain court-related offices such as the district attorney’s office, is in dire need of space beyond just an additional courtroom.

“The way that certain areas or departments are laid out physically impose limitations for access to justice.”