![]() Oldham said the courts will have graduations in the auditorium for their specialized dockets. The 104-seat auditorium in the court building will be open for use by community groups, with dates now being booked in January. Oldham said an open house will be held in January, though a date hasn’t yet been set. More: Big changes for downtown Will the public have access to the building? Department of Development and Veterans Service Commission. This includes the Adult Parole Authority, Job and Family Services, Bureau of Worker’s Compensation, Civil Rights Commission. Several state offices will remain on the fourth and fifth floors. Does the building still have some state offices? Oldham said the court plans to apply for grants for artwork to adorn them.Įach courtroom features large televisions, which will be used for Zoom sessions and to show evidence during trials. The newly painted walls are largely bare. The furniture is mostly new, though Oldham said they salvaged what they could from the old building. Judge Jon Oldham looks over his court room during a tour of the new Akron Municipal Court. “We do not like elevators,” Oldham joked as he gave a tour of the new space, referring to the problematic elevators in the Stubbs building. The first floor features the higher traffic areas, including the clerk’s office and the arraignment, traffic and small claims courts. Where will the offices be in the new court building? Public access to the court offices will be prohibited during non-court hours. Officers who need to access the clerk’s office after hours will be buzzed into a special entrance that will be only for law enforcement, Walsh said. People will be able to do everything there that they could do after hours at the clerk’s office, such as posting bond and paying fees, Walsh said. Outside of the court’s normal hours, the clerk’s office will have a vestibule window by the entrance. Will there be after-hours access at the new municipal court location? Security will be provided by Akron officers and a private security firm that already was operating in the building. Judge Jon Oldham, the Akron judge who served as the court’s liaison for the project, said the limited access to the building will make it more secure and eliminate the need for security officers in multiple locations. The other entrances and a skywalk, which fell into disrepair and was deemed too costly to fix, have been closed. Broadway St., will be through an entrance on the Broadway side. The only way to get in or out of the new court building, located at 172 S. How do I access the new Akron Municipal Court building? People who need to file a complaint or meet with an officer will continue to go to that building.Īnyone with court business, though, will now need to go to the new court building. The Akron Police Department will still be in the Stubbs building, located at 217 S. What will be left in the Stubbs building? Here’s a look at plans for the courthouse switch and for the future of the Stubbs building and police department. More: Akron moving forward with plans to acquire Ocasek Building to house municipal court The renovations cost about $30 million, which was mostly covered with court fees and the help of financing through the Development Finance Authority of Summit County. The updated, five-story Ocasek building is expected to address these concerns. The problems with the nine-story Stubbs building, built in 1966, included elevators that broke down constantly, unpredictable heating and cooling, and the inability to separate witnesses, victims and defendants or for attorneys to meet privately with their clients. Ultimately, Walsh said, “we’re trying to make it easier on the public and the police.” “People are going to be hella confused,” predicted Debbie Walsh, Akron’s clerk whose office worked out of both locations during the transition from one building to the other. Though excited about the move, court officials are concerned about people not knowing where to go. Judge Jon Oldham conducts a tour of the new Akron Municipal Court in the former Oliver Ocasek building in Akron.
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