A couple weeks after Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther scrapped plans to construct a long-awaited new Franklin County Municipal Courthouse, a city fire inspector found 33 code violations in the existing building, according to reports obtained by The Dispatch.
Inspections on Aug. 7 and Aug. 19 found two rooms without sprinklers, rooftop scaffolding with components at risk of blowing off, dozens of illegal multiplug adapters and empty fire hose cabinets throughout the building. A judge's letter in between the inspections also highlighted recurring network closet power failures that disrupt court operations.
These issues come on top of previously reported issues with accessibility, elevator breakdowns, water damage and judges' security concerns.
The judges
closed the courthouse starting Sept. 23 for three days this week while part of the courthouse's fire suppression system is offline. That decision was made also in light of the outstanding fire code violations, per a spokesperson for the court. The newly obtained records add evidence that the 47-year-old courthouse has suffered from deferred maintenance.
The Ginther administration maintains that the courthouse is safe for the public and staff to occupy while the city addresses code violations in the short-term and finalizes plans for $260 million in renovations with partial completion beginning in 2034. Ginther and his administration have cited the city's tight budget and ballooning construction costs when deciding to renovate the courthouse rather than stick with the plan to build new.
In between the inspections, on Aug. 13, City Director of Building & Zoning Services Scott Messer, reassured press on a tour of the building that "there were no structural defects or concerns of a serious safety hazard or unsafe conditions in accordance with the building and fire code."
Administrative Judge Jessica D'Varga took issue with that characterization. She sent a lengthy letter on behalf of all the Municipal Court judges to Ginther's chief of staff, Elon Simms, on Aug. 14.
"City officials stated that no code violations were identified at the building," D'Varga wrote. "The Columbus Fire Department's report identifies numerous fire code violations. Please reconcile this discrepancy and confirm whether the City intends to issue a public correction of that statement."
The Ginther administration said in an emailed statement that officials comments were intended to address whether inspectors identified conditions that made the municipal court building unsafe to occupy and no such conditions were found. The statement said:
"The inspection did identify a number of maintenance and fire code issues that require attention. Those findings have been communicated to the appropriate departments, and we are working to address them in a timely manner. The Municipal Courthouse remains safe to occupy. The City remains committed to working in partnership with the Court to address building concerns as they arise while we finalize plans for the building renovation."
D'Varga was not available for an interview, said Jodi Andes, a spokesperson for the Municipal Court. Andes said the court should reopen once the repair on the suppression system is complete while the city develops a plan to address remaining fire code violations. In the meantime, a fire watch is required, meaning court security personnel are required to patrol the five affected floors 24/7 to watch out for smoke or sparks.
The Franklin County Municipal Court is the busiest in the state and one of the most visited buildings in Columbus.
Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Fire code violations found at courthouse Ginther plans to renovate | Exclusive
