Judge enlists help on court
Interior designer’s views sought in ongoing effort to reach an agreementBy Sam Shawver, sshawver@mariettatimes.com
Judge Janet Dyar-Welch on Tuesday welcomed some outside assistance with the ongoing effort to find suitable facilities for Marietta's Municipal Court.
Karen Weaver, an interior designer who works in facilities management with the U.S. Bureau of Public Debt's Office of Management Services in Parkersburg, was invited by the judge to help her and a core group of city officials develop a framework in which to focus on the municipal court issue. The Ohio 4th District Court of Appeals ordered the city to resolve the longstanding court issues in a writ of mandamus ruling issued earlier this year.
"It's better to try to resolve conflict with civility and discussion, and it appears that Ms. Weaver may be able to help resolve this," Welch said during a meeting with City Council members in the current municipal courtroom.
"I will not ignore the mandamus directive, but this will be a kind of side-step," she added. "I do believe (Weaver) is going to be useful to the court in getting over these issues, and I intend to use her services."
Other members of the core group tapped by Welch include city law director Roland Riggs III, city engineer Joe Tucker and Councilman Harley Noland, D-at large.
"You need to get some consensus on the space requirements, and go through the court document to determine what issues are non-negotiable," Weaver said. "Then you can come up with a list of requirements on which everyone agrees so that this project can move forward."
Welch called Tuesday's meeting as a follow-up to a June 25 session with council members and Miller Lecky Architects Inc. of Columbus. At that meeting, Miller Lecky representatives explained designs and costs related to their engineering study that estimated it would take $3.8 million to renovate Marietta's former Ohio Bureau of Employment Services building into a suitable municipal court.
The judge told council on Tuesday she had made some adjustments to space requirements listed in the Miller Lecky study that would help cut down on the estimated square footage needed to renovate the OBES facility.
Welch said she had combined some areas from the proposed court plans, like the conference, jury assembly and video rooms, into one location, in order to save space. She also proposed a similar combination for the judges' and magistrate's offices.
"I just wanted to explain how I came up with my figures so that you could take them back as you review the study," she said.
Weaver said the design of the building should be secondary to the function of the facility. She said information gleaned from the Miller Lecky study, Welch, previous studies and from the district court ruling should all be considered.
"Determine your requirements first, then look at existing facilities citywide to decide where (the court) should go," Weaver said. "And I don't think it will take us long to come to a consensus on the requirements."
She asked to review copies of the architect study and any previous proposals for the court facilities and obtained Welch's permission to discuss the most recent study with Miller Lecky.
Mayor Michael Mullen, who has proposed the purchase of the former OBES building for a potential municipal court location since November 2006, believes the facility could be suitably renovated for far less than $3.8 million.
The mayor began working to obtain the property shortly after the writ of mandamus lawsuit was filed in October 2006 by city resident Butch Badgett, who wanted to force Mullen and City Council into providing municipal court facilities compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
In May, the 4th District Court of Appeals ordered the city to come up with a way to provide suitable court facilities through a cooperative effort that would include input from Badgett and Welch.
On Tuesday, Welch emphasized that the core group would not be a decision-making body, but it would help move the municipal court process forward.
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JonGrimm3rdWard
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07-03-08 8:36 AM
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CluelessOH, tatttms is correct. We are currently working toward an agreement of all parties as to the scope of this project. It is my belief that we can address the immediate need of the court in a cost effective manner as well as design the facility to easily accommodate future expansion should the need ever arise. I think that the key here is to address the “immediate needs” to not only satisfy the Writ of Mandamus but to fulfill our obligation to the public.
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tattttms
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07-02-08 9:02 PM
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CluelessOH the 3.8 mil probably can't be justified, but even if it could, the city cannot afford 3.8 million. There MUST be a a more cost efficient way to satisfy the needs of the court.
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CluelessOH
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07-02-08 7:39 PM
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JonGrimm3rdWard. How can the price be justified? It didn't cost Wal-Mart 3.8 million dollars to build their whole building and the parking lot. Just how big is this building going to be?
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BIGDMARSHALL
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07-02-08 2:04 PM
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Wait will see whats really going on
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Contrarian
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07-02-08 12:16 PM
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Calmer heads can prevail if heads remain calm. It's the least the taxpayers should expect after the circuses of the past. If Ms. Weaver can steer us to a solution that all parties can embrace we'll construct a new "Walk of Honor" and buy her a brick!
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JonGrimm3rdWard
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07-02-08 10:39 AM
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To clarify this story a bit, this was a public meeting and Ms. Weaver attended at my request. I believe her expertise in project management would be invaluable to this process; therefore I am very happy that Judge Welch welcomes her help. To answer some posted questions, Ms. Weaver is volunteering her time.
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emilyv
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07-02-08 10:25 AM
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finally, some locigal thinking...
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ladynoogs
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07-02-08 9:35 AM
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why didn't they do this to start with?
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RiverQueen
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07-02-08 8:53 AM
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Is Karen getting paid or is she a volunteer on the committee?
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