Flooding in the basement of the Franklin County Municipal Courthouse prompted the court to reschedule some hearings Oct. 5.
Court spokesperson Jodi Andes said the flooding happened Oct. 2. By the morning of Oct. 5, some standing water remained in the basement holding cells where defendants await hearings, so some hearings that day were rescheduled. Andes did not have a total number of affected cases readily available.
The water was drained from the building by about 10:30 a.m. Oct. 5, and operations at the court were “back to business as usual” the next day, Andes said.
Columbus Department of Public Utilities spokesperson George Zonders said a leak came from an 8-inch valve outside the courthouse that feeds the courthouse and a fire hydrant. A
hood on the valve had started to come loose, he said.
Crews turned off the main water line and replaced the valve, Zonders said. The crews were told water entered the courthouse through some sort of duct, but Zonders said he could not speak to anything inside the courthouse or the state of its infrastructure.
Video Andes provided The Dispatch showed up to an inch of standing brown water in the basement Oct. 5 as well as lingering sediment in the building after the waters receded.
Andes directed questions about damage to the building to the city, which maintains the courthouse.
The city previously planned to build a new municipal court building. Officials announced in July that the project would not go forward, citing construction costs, and said the city would instead renovate the current building, 375 S. High St.
The announcement prompted an 11-page statement from court staff and judges, who expressed concern that the renovations could not address safety and accessibility issues in the existing building.
The court said that elevators in the building frequently break down and trap people inside, the fire alarm system and security equipment are aging, the electrical wiring sometimes smokes and plumbing problems have resulted in leaks.
City fire inspectors found 33 code violations in the courthouse on Aug. 7 and 19. The courthouse was built in 1979, and maintenance has frequently been deferred in anticipation of a new building.
Andes said she couldn’t say whether ongoing issues with the building contributed to the flooding over the weekend. Debbie Briner, spokesperson for the mayor’s office, directed that question to Zonders, who said he could only speak to Columbus Water and Power infrastructure.
Public safety and breaking news reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Franklin County Municipal Court floods, adding to building's problems
