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Plans to construct new Akron Muni Court move forward
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: August 19, 2016
It’s taken many years but come the end of 2018, those who work and do business at Akron Municipal Court will likely be doing so in a brand new facility.
This after the Akron City Council voted on July 18 to pass legislation that will allow officials to begin the search for a construction manager to oversee the erection of a new court building.
Introduced by Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan and Administrative/Presiding Judge Joy Malek Oldfield, the legislation also authorized the demolition of the city-owned John Morley Health Center. Located at 177 S. Broadway St. the now vacant health center is the site where the new courthouse will go up.
Judge Oldfield said a new building would provide the additional space necessary to improve safety and efficiency.
“We have needed a new facility for years,” said Judge Oldfield. “We have a lot of security concerns in our current facility. For example, we have no way to separate individuals in custody from the general public, prosecutors or court staff.
“Right now those in custody are taken through the hallway, which is not the best practice.”
Located at 217 S. High St., the municipal court primarily operates out of the top three floors of the nine-story Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center. The building also houses the Clerk of Courts, the Akron Police Department and the Akron City Prosecutor’s Office.
Judge Oldfield said the Akron Municipal Court has jurisdiction over matters involving residents from the cities of Akron and Fairlawn, the townships of Bath, Richfield and Springfield, the villages of Lakemore and Richfield and the part of Mogadore located in Summit County.
With over 100 clerk and court employees, along with attorneys, police and the public using the same building, Judge Oldfield said it’s often congested. In addition, she said it’s not equipped to handle the needs of the disabled.
“Most of the court and clerk business is conducted on floors seven through nine and we only have three elevators accessible to the public,” she said. “Sometimes only two are working. We only have one employee elevator and hundreds of people try to use it each day.
“The new facility will be approximately 70,000 to 75,000 square feet and probably two or three stories high. The majority of the court and clerk business will be conducted on the ground floor.”
Akron Municipal Clerk of Courts Jim Laria said the current facility is “so cramped that it’s impossible to expand the technology. We have no room to add imaging machines.
“There are no rooms for attorneys to discuss plea bargains,” said Laria. “Attorneys have to make deals in the hallways and defendants and witnesses for the prosecution often sit across from one another in the hallway.”
The current building was erected in 1966 and was known as the City-County Safety Building until the early ‘90s. That’s when it was renamed the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center to honor former Municipal Court Judge Harold Stubbs, who was also Akron’s first African American law director.
In 1978, a study determined that a more customer service friendly, accessible, safe and secure courthouse was needed for the public and personnel.
“Since 1978, the court has conducted three additional studies, the most recent assessing the needs of the police as well as other occupants of the building,” said Judge Oldfield.
“We thought about razing the Stubbs building and putting up a new facility to keep all the occupants together,” she said. “But the city did not have the operating budget to fund a project of that size.
“We started working with the police department to figure out the best solution and halfway through we realized that we needed separate facilities.”
In 2005, Judge Oldfield said the court established the Courthouse Special Projects Fund, where a portion of user fines and other fees is set aside. Fast-forward to today and the fund now has enough money to start the work on a new municipal court building without relying on any funding from the city.
City officials said the construction of the new building would not exceed $21 million.
James Hardy, Akron deputy mayor for administration and chief of staff, said the project would employ a “Construction Manager At-Risk” model to help make sure it stays on budget.
“The model places the responsibility for the delivery of the project on the construction manager, who is required to work under specs and budget,” said Hardy.
“The plan is to demolish the existing Morley Health Center and put up a new building,” he said. “There is an existing parking deck which will be augmented slightly to provide ample spaces for the public and secure parking for employees.”
“This is an opportunity for the City of Akron to meet a long-term need for a new building which offers a positive, safe and secure environment for citizens needing or using our court services,” Mayor Dan Horrigan said in a press release.
In an emailed statement, Court Administrator Montrella Jackson said the new court facility would allow “the business of the court to be conducted in a dignified and secure environment.
“As noted by former Akron Municipal Court Judge Joyce George in a 1982 court facility needs assessment, ‘the municipal courts of Ohio provide the first, and many times the only, contact many citizens have with the judicial process.’
“Akron Municipal Court handles a large volume of cases,” said Jackson. “As a result, adequate space is of great importance for the court to function properly and to avoid interference with the administration of justice.”
Judge Oldfield said the new facility would include a number of security features as well as restrooms that are accessible to the disabled, a conference area and a lunchroom.
“Currently there is no place where all our employees can congregate,” said Judge Oldfield. “We do not have a lunchroom or a conference room.
“Right now there is unlimited access to employee and judicial workspaces. Judges routinely have defendants standing in or near the doorway of the entrance to their chambers.”
While the special projects fund does not contain the entire $21 million, Judge Oldfield said she believes the court “will have the revenue stream to support this project without further raising court costs.”
Although it’s still early in the process Judge Oldfield said she is hopeful that court officials will be able to move into the new facility at the end of 2018. Until then, the court will continue to operate out of the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center.
“The mayor’s office has worked very collaboratively with us on this process, including providing a location in the current justice triangle,” said Judge Oldfield. “We’re very happy to partner with them.”
“It’s been a long haul,” said Laria. “Our plans fell apart a few times but it’s finally coming to fruition.”