Pendleton County Commission reopens courthouse doors and allows community-building rentals

The Pendleton County Commission voted unanimously March 16 to unlock all outside doors at the Pendleton County Courthouse during business hours and to resume rental of county community buildings consistent with state regulations.

Commission President Gene McConnell said the Governor had eased restrictions on social gatherings, and the commission’s action — moved by Commissioner Carole Hartman and approved unanimously — takes effect immediately. Individual county offices will remain responsible for enforcing mask-wearing and limiting the number of customers inside each office at a time.

Before the vote, courthouse access had been limited to a single public entry point. The change restores multiple exterior entrances to ease public flow and allows the county to begin taking rental requests for community buildings that have been closed during the pandemic. The commission did not adopt a uniform countywide mask rule; instead it left compliance and customer-count controls to individual offices.

The commission did not specify a timeline for when specific community buildings will be available for rent; rental approvals will follow state regulations and any further local conditions.