Columbus Council President Hardin Calls for Safety Review of Aging Municipal Courthouse; Hearing Set for November 9
Columbus is a city in Franklin County, Ohio. The Columbus Dispatch reported on October 16 that City Council President Shannon Hardin is calling for a safety review of the Franklin County Municipal Courthouse and has announced a November 9 council hearing to be held at the aging building, which has had fire code violations, elevator breakdowns and security concerns.
In July, Mayor Andrew Ginther announced the city could not afford to build a new courthouse, dropping a $335 million construction project in the works since 2018, for which voters twice approved bond levies, in favor of spending $260 million to renovate the existing building. Judges had earlier closed the courthouse temporarily while part of the fire suppression system was offline.
In an October 16 announcement, Hardin said court officials and staff feel misled and frustrated, and that he toured the building last year and again two weeks ago with Administrative Judge Jessica D'Varga and was shocked at its further decline. 'We owe a safe and accessible place to access justice to the half a million residents who come through its doors every year, and to the hundreds of city employees who work there,' Hardin said. 'With the Mayor's cancellation of the courthouse project, we need answers about a realistic path forward.'
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：哥伦布俄亥俄州议会大厦实景。图片来源：Becker1999 from Grove City, OH，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.0。Photo: 哥伦布俄亥俄州议会大厦实景. Image: Becker1999 from Grove City, OH, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
