Monongalia County Executive Summary

Front of Courthouse
		Front of Jail
	Front of Jail

Front of Annex

The Monongalia County courthouse was built in 1890 and is on the historic register. The courthouse is 65,500 square feet with three stories plus a basement and an attic. It has a stone foundation with no evidence of settlement. The walls are brick and should be cleaned, re-pointed, and sealed. The bell tower should also be repaired. The annex has brick walls and a concrete foundation.

The courthouse roof is a sloped metal roof which is in good condition. But the rubber membrane roof on the annex should be replaced. The windows and doors are in good condition.

The building does not contain a sprinkler system or working emergency lights. There are two means of egress from each floor. We recommend that a sprinkler system, additional exit lights and emergency lights be installed. We also recommend that an additional public exit door be installed in each courtroom.

Paint is peeling off the walls in some of the stairwells. We recommend these be scraped and repainted as needed.

To improve security, we recommend equipping the facility with an entry-level screening using a walk through metal detector and an X-ray machine. The metal detector from the courtroom can be used. An X-ray machine is needed. We also recommend that all other entry and exit doors be equipped with alarms and use card access. There should be an installation of alarms on windows on all lower level entry doors, more duress alarms in the clerk’s offices, and a security console.

To meet ADA compatibility requirements, the handrails for the outside ramp into the building need to be extended. There should be proper ADA signage throughout the building. There is elevator access. The witness stand and judge’s bench should be fitted with a lift for accessibility. There should also be ramps to the jury boxes when necessary.

The sheriff’s office and jail building was built over 100 years ago and is approximately 23,500 square feet with three stories and a basement. We recommend that the jail building be demolished in favor of a new judicial annex.

To service the growing needs of the county a new 50,000 square foot judicial annex could be built on the site of the jail.

Total cost of the project is $11,235,240.

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