May 7, 2024 By Mike Jones 4 min read

The portico to the Washington County Courthouse is viewed ceremonially as the front door to both the city and county, but it’s been closed to the public for more than four years during multiple renovations and a global pandemic.

That is expected to change in the coming months as county and courthouse officials are working on plans to reopen the main entrance facing South Main Street to once again welcome visitors through the front doors.

Sheriff Tony Andronas and Commission Chairman Nick Sherman were milling about the courthouse steps with other county officials Monday afternoon discussing the logistics of reopening the front entrance, including security concerns for deputies manning the doors and working to keep the building safe.

Sherman said he thinks reopening the main doors will offer “better flow” for people while giving the city’s business district a boost by pushing more courthouse employees and attendees onto Main Street.

“We’re trying to revitalize downtown Washington,” Sherman said. “It’s important we have the front doors open at the courthouse, showing not only the county is open for business, but so is the city.”

The front steps to the courthouse were fenced off in December 2019 so the granite slabs under the portico, which had become uneven and were tripping hazards, could be replaced. The entrance and security screening area were moved to West Cherry Alley in a corridor between the courthouse and Family Court Center, which was expected to be temporary until the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“That moved us directly into COVID with limited access,” Sherman said.

After the pandemic began to wane, county officials authorized a multimillion-dollar expansion project to build a seventh courtroom, with construction crews staging equipment on the front steps and moving building materials through the front entrance. That project wrapped up late last year, allowing for the protective fencing to be removed from the portico steps.

The main issue for Andronas and his department is ensuring that deputies can operate two entrances safely. He added that there will likely be changes with how people enter the main entrance in order to make it more secure for the deputies.

“I will always have a staffing concern when it comes to two entrances,” Andronas said. “Maybe if we can reconfigure the entry point and screening area for the safety of the deputies.”

While Sherman is hopeful that the front doors can reopen in about three months, Court Administrator Patrick Grimm said there is no specific timeline for it to happen since the 125-year-old doors must be refurbished and security considerations need to be reviewed.

“You have to consider certain safety issues if you open it up,” Grimm said. “From a security standpoint, we have had assessments done for the courthouse and the Family Court Center that indicated having one entry and exit is more secure.”

But Grimm also acknowledged the importance of having the courthouse’s main entrance open to the public, especially since visitors and prospective jurors often attempt to use the front door only to be redirected to the West Cherry Alley entrance.

“The front doors were open for a long time prior to the front porch renovation and COVID, and it certainly would be more convenient for the public and other users and employees of the courthouse to be able to access Main Street without having to walk around the building,” Grimm said. “You still have people go to the front door thinking it’s open.”

In addition to the front doors being utilized again soon, Grimm said the Clerk of Courts office will be moving back into the courthouse in the near future. The office was moved across the alley into the Courthouse Square building last June as county officials created a central court filing office in the former county offices. However, the county is now considering demolishing Courthouse Square, meaning all of the offices in that building will eventually have to be relocated until a new public safety center is constructed.

Domestic Violence Services was earmarked to go into the space vacated last year by the Clerk of Courts, but court officials found a “better space” in the courthouse for that office, Grimm said.