Judge orders Augusta to turn old jail, school into judicial space

A judicial order signed Friday commands the city Augusta to pay for and transform the abandoned sheriff’s building at 401 Walton Way and a closed elementary school into judicial space.

Augusta Judicial Circuit Judge Carl C. Brown Jr. signed the order mandating the city renovates the decrepit 401 Walton Way facility abandoned by the sheriff’s office because of extensive mold and mildew. Two years ago Brown presented the city with a study that estimated the cost to replace the walls and windows, floors, ceilings and the entire roof as well as a HVAC system for $2.25 million to turn the building into a juvenile justice center. City commissioners passed on the request.

Brown’s Friday order states that the building is now needed to provide space for justice to be conducted for the people of Richmond County, a process basically brought to a halt in March when all Georgia courts were in effect closed by emergency order because of the spread of the coronavirus.

Brown’s order doesn’t mandate either Columbia or Burke counties obtain buildings and pay for their renovations, although all three counties that comprise the Augusta Judicial Circuit and have been under the same judicial emergency order since March.

Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton has extended his judicial order through at least Aug. 10 which means no jury trials or grand jury sessions can be held in any county. The stop in judicial proceedings was needed because both types of jury sessions require potentially dozens of people to occupy the same area, making social distancing unlikely.

In addition to 401 Walton Way, the parking lot and surrounding grounds, Brown ordered the city to renovate the Craig-Houghton Elementary School at 1001 Fourth St. as judicial space. The school was closed in 2018 when new schools were built.

Brown noted in his order that Richmond County Board of Education is willing to trade the school for a parcel of land adjacent to T.W. Josey High School for the school to use as a softball complex.

Brown appointed a committee to be chaired by Jim Hull to serve as receiver for the properties.

He also set deadlines for the completion of the projects within 330 days from Friday.

All parties are ordered to be in court Sept. 16 at 10 a.m.