Pennsylvania courtroom gets facelift; asbestos and leaks are next

Oct 21, 2009

Lehigh County in Pennsylvania has gotten a facelift. New furnishings were only part of the renovations. The courtroom has a new sound system that allows jurors to hear attorneys as they walk about the courtroom via wireless microphones, and a white noise component that allows the attorneys to approach the bench to speak with the judge without being overheard. New video screens now allow everyone in the courtroom to see photos and videos. Video cameras monitor the courtrooms, and video phones allow judges and their secretaries to see who is at the door. Four holding cells with interview rooms allow attorneys to speak with the prisoners through a glass wall, and separate elevators were installed to ensure that judges and prisoners do not use the same elevator. The elevators also bypass the hallways, so prisoners are not walking by courthouse visitors.

At least one of the judges disapproves of the courthouse renovations, calling the new furniture cheap, and some of the other upgrades as unnecessary, but the project remains on budget and on schedule. The next step in the renovation process is to remove asbestos from the old parts of the building, which was constructed in 1964. Leaks also need to be dealt with. The whole project is scheduled to be completed by the end of March 2010.

For the full story, go to The Morning Call.

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