Pendleton County building commission agrees to pursue courthouse annex to house prosecutors, judges and sheriff

Gene McConnell, County Commission President, opened a joint meeting of the Pendleton County Commission and the Building Commission on Feb. 23 and said the county needs additional office space after the county had to rent space for the new prosecuting attorney.

Members said the preferred long-term solution is an annex attached to the Pendleton County Courthouse so the prosecuting attorney’s office can be located in the building. Jeff Bowers, a member of the Building Commission, said the state Supreme Court requires separate office space for judges and that the courthouse currently lacks private meeting space for attorneys. Carole Hartman, a county commissioner, added that the sheriff needs a private office for case discussions and that more storage is needed; commissioners discussed adding a basement to provide storage.

Commissioners discussed where to place a new annex. Bowers and Building Commission member Matt Harper said siting the annex next to the courthouse would allow a single HVAC system and a single secure entry point; an alternative would be constructing a building in the High Street parking area. Carl Hevener noted any design would require approval from the local historical society, and Hartman raised potential Environmental Protection Agency issues related to an underground storage tank and a generator, asking whether the generator could be worked around or whether it remained necessary.

Gene McConnell reminded the group that the Building Commission—unlike the county government—has authority to borrow money and observed that interest rates were low at the time of the meeting. Participants reviewed earlier cost estimates, including a 1994 estimate of $2,500,000 (which included partial renovations done then) and a 2013 estimate of $2,300,000 from Silling Architects. Members said those numbers would likely be roughly double in current dollars, although no new estimate was produced at the meeting.

All members of the Building Commission expressed support for attaching an annex to the courthouse. Jeff Bowers moved that the county move forward with building an annex; Matt Harper seconded the motion. The transcript records agreement on proceeding but does not record a roll-call vote.

Judge Carl stopped in briefly and told commissioners that grant opportunities might be available; he said he would contact people in Charleston and request that they reach out to the commission about specifications and potential funding. Commissioners agreed the next step is to have the existing annex plans reviewed and updated if possible. McConnell said he would contact Tom Potts at Silling Architects in Charleston to determine whether the existing plans can be reused.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:25 a.m.