More than 100 people showed up Monday morning for a special called meeting of the Greene County Board of Commissioners about the future of the county courthouse, which sits on a one-block, county-owned island in the middle of downtown Greensboro.
For over an hour, 23 citizens who spoke gave commissioners an earful of opposition to a proposed plan that could move judicial courts and services employees out of the courthouse.
Trey Daniels, vice president of the Greensboro Business Association (GBA), said downtown businesses are already hurting.
“We have already struggled with the reduction of traffic from the loss of Yesterday Café and the loss of Ripe Thing, which no longer cooks and prepares lunches as they have in the past. All of which has been a draw to get traffic downtown daily,” Daniels said. "The GBA wants and needs downtown Greensboro to thrive as a hub of economic activity that is supported by the courthouse and its employees and visitors.”
The BOC has been working on a plan to alleviate office overcrowding in the 175-year-old building. All options will cost millions of dollars, such as making significant repairs to the courthouse, expanding offices to buildings near the courthouse, or moving all judicial services and courts to a new building away from downtown.
“I hope that, when we go forward and continue to work on improvements to the courthouse, we’ll do what you all said you were planning to do. And that is to hold very public hearings so everyone can have an opportunity for input, so no one could say we didn’t know what was going on," Terry Lawler said.
Commission Chairman Gary Usry had opened Monday’s meeting by insisting that the BOC had not yet decided what to do. But as Lake Oconee News reported exclusively last week, the commissioners have already spent $1.1 million on design plans for a new Judicial Center. It would be located 1.7 miles from downtown at the C. Weldon Smith County annex.
Longtime Probate and Magistrate Judge Laverne Ogletree, whose offices are in the courthouse, said at Monday’s meeting that she has been trying for years to get commissioners to fix the space problem for years.
“We have been asking, and we, as the other people who work in the courthouse every day, I’d say, since 2019 and even before that, every time an office in the courthouse has been moved out, we’ve all asked to have more space in our individual departments,” Ogletree said.
In 2019, the probation department was moved out of the courthouse, leaving space on the third floor.
“In 2021, the discussion began again, and we were pretty much told that if we didn’t buy into a long-term plan to move the functions out of the courthouse that, no consideration would be given to the short-term plan of utilizing the space on the third floor," Ogletree said.
Three major additions and renovations have been made over the years. Frances Strickland toured the courthouse recently, and there are many problems to fix.
“I saw that our courthouse has been allowed to fall into a state that requires a lot of general maintenance,” she told commissioners. The courthouse needs many repairs, including mildew, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) codes, the layout of office space, restrooms, etc. "But I believe it is worth the costs and the money well spent on the oldest functioning courthouse in Georgia.”
An architectural study commissioned by the BOC in 2022 reported, among other things, that mold and mildew are present in the partial basement of the oldest part of the building, and moisture intrusion will continue to be a problem.
Also, halls, restrooms, and elevator access violate ADA accessibility codes. There are ongoing problems with the HVAC system and access to it for repairs, limited access to restrooms, and insufficient parking around the building.
Transparency
At points during Monday’s meeting, Usry and Commissioner Angela Deering, who pushed for the special session, sought to limit discussion to finding space in the courthouse rather than discussing moving employees out of the building. This led to complaints about the BOC not being transparent about its plans for the courthouse.
“Whether we live way out in the country where I live,” said resident Cynthia Smith. “Whether we live in town, whether we live at the lake, wherever. We are Greene Countians—all of us. If we don’t work together, we’re going to go down together … Please work with us. We’ve asked you again and again to be truthful … Can you not get your act together, please?”
Terry Lawler, who has served in many county and private offices, drew applause from the crowd.
“I hope that when we go forward and continue to work on improvements to the courthouse, we’ll do what you all said you were planning to do," Lawler said. And that is to hold very public hearings so everyone can have an opportunity for input, so no one could say we didn’t know what was going on.”
Usry said the BOC meets the second Tuesday of every month, and all are welcome to attend.
“We’re not a large county, but it’s a two-way street,” Usry said. “It is communication. As I look here today, I see all these numbers of people. This past July (regular board meeting) had 12-15 people. I hear what you’re saying ... I appreciate the spirit in what you’re saying because we all are neighbors, but we would love to see you.”
Ray Brindley suggested the county commission form a “steering committee” to consider the options and make suggestions quickly.
“I know what you got to deal with is a tough decision. And that decision needs to involve a lot of people,” he said.
At the end of the meeting, all five commissioners seemed to agree that a committee, including experts and local citizens, should be formed to review the options.
Deering volunteered to represent the BOC. Usry said it would be added to the agenda for discussion at the Aug. 13 regularly scheduled meeting.