The Orange County Courthouse will reopen to the public beginning the week of November 6. During a workshop Friday afternoon, the Commissioners Court discussed with elected officials and department heads which offices could begin moving back into the Courthouse which has been closed since Tropical Storm Harvey hit on August 29.
The MIS Department will be the first office to move back into the Courthouse on Monday, November 6. Their primary task is to begin getting computers back up for all the other offices to use.
County Judge Brint Carlton provided a projected schedule when certain offices should be open in the Courthouse. On Monday, the County Clerk’s personnel, the Court Administrator’s employees, and the Collections office should be back in their normal offices. All three district courts should be back in their offices on Tuesday. The County Court-at-Law will move back on Wednesday afternoon, and it is hoped that County Court-at-Law #2 could move back in that morning. “On Wednesday, November 15, we will move Constable Precinct 1 and J.P. 1 back in the Courthouse.” Carlton concluded.
The District Attorney’s offices will be one of the last to reopen because all the carpet had to be pulled from the floors. Judge Carlton predicted another three to four weeks before that office will reopen.
Discussions included the suggestion of hiring SpawGlass as the contractor to do certain needed repairs to the Courthouse and to the Sheriff’s Office in Orange. One repair that is still under evaluation is the replacement of the more than 90 windows in the Courthouse. It is believed the windows allowed Harvey’s rain to infiltrate the Courthouse structure and cause much of the damage.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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