Friday, July 23, 1999
Appeals court to get its own home
New building planned for parking lot site
BY JANET C. WETZEL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MIDDLETOWN — The 12th District Court of Appeals is moving — but not far. It's going from the city building to the city building parking lot.
After years of speculation about whether the court, which handles appeals for eight counties — including Butler, Warren and Clermont — should be relocated to Hamilton, Middletown has apparently won the decision.
But the file cabinets and stacks of books that line the halls of the court's leased space on the city building's third floor will likely get much taller before they find a permanent location, said Judge Stephen Powell.
Details of the proposed new court building are not final. But preliminary plans call for breaking ground next year on an estimated 26,000-square foot building on a parking lot owned by the city. The lot is adjacent to the municipal building at Main Street and Reinartz Boulevard.
About one-half of the 100 parking spaces, most of which are used by employees, will be eliminated, but the city is forming a committee to work on the issue to ensure there is ample parking, officials said.
The court's goal is to be in the new, two-story structure with basement storage and possibly underground parking, sometime in 2001, said Judge Powell. There is no cost estimate.
“We're all very eager to get this started and get in the new building,” Judge Powell said. The other 12th District Court Judges are William Young, James Walsh and Anthony Valen. “Meanwhile, we'll just keep stacking things higher and making notes on where things are. It's rough, but it's workable as long as we can see a light at the end of the tunnel.”
The overcrowding in the estimated 10,000-square-foot court space extends beyond inanimate objects. The staff now numbers 21, including the four judges.
“If two people are trying to pass in the hallway, one has to stop and flatten him or herself against the wall to let the other pass,” Judge Powell said, laughing.
And as the court's caseload grows and new staff is hired, the problem will worsen. In 1998, about 750 new cases were filed, an increase of nearly 100 from 1997. Each judge writes about 100 opinions annu ally.
The court, which could have been located in any county it serves, has been in Middletown since it was created in 1980. The Butler County Courthouse was at capacity, and space was already at a premium in the county administration building.
Middletown's 4-year-old city building had space, was in a good location and was an ideal choice to serve the Y-shaped district, Judge Powell said.
Middletown City Manager Ron Olson said the city wants to remain the top site for the court and has worked with Butler County officials for months on a solution to the court's overcrowding.
As the largest county in the district, Butler is the court's financial agent. Neither Butler County Admin istrator Derek Conklin nor Butler County Commission President Courtney Combs could be reached for comment.
The timing of the court's lease with Middletown was a factor in not moving into the nearly finished Government Services Center in Hamilton, Judge Powell said. The court lease ends Dec. 31, but the city will enact the two-year extension.
“They have been very good landlords to us,” Judge Powell said. “And this is a good fit for us. Middletown Municipal Court is here, the police department, which provides security for both courts, is next door, and the branch of the Butler County Law Library will be in our building.
“Because they all interrelate with each other, it makes it more convenient to those who use our services.”
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