by Neil Richard
After I concluded my interview with local leader Vic Mason, Clerk of the Circuit Court, I asked if I could take a tour of the building to see if it was really as bad as everyone said. Not that I didn't believe the reports but I had never really seen much first hand. Aside from some peeling paint, it looked just fine at first glance. It turned out I was wrong. Very wrong.
As a casual observer, it is easy to walk past the issues on your way to a trial or to research deeds. But if you slow down, the issues will start to appear. Diving deeper into the labyrinth of offices make things even easier to see, and in some cases, feel.
Starting in Mason's office, we could see where the mold remediation had taken a toll on the cinder block wall itself. In order to remove the mold, large pieces of the block had to be removed. This scene was repeated throughout the building in numerous rooms and offices.
While still in his office area, we saw computer equipment sitting directly under geothermal lines in the ceiling. Mason said they had leaked several times, requiring the replacement of a large scanner.
The Courthouse stores many historical documents. Some are copies and some are originals. For those documents where we house the copies, the originals are housed in Richmond. Because some of these documents are stored in older formats, older equipment is necessary to access them.
I could have spent all day taking photos of peeling paint in the Courthouse. It really is that bad.
Before I started the tour, I told Mason that I didn't want to take pictures of people to preserve their privacy. I also didn't want to take pictures of anything related to the security of the building. He offered to tell me when I was getting ready to take a picture of something I shouldn't. While in a judge's office, the judge commented that it wasn't a secure location and that nothing prevented a bad guy from going "kablooie" with a shotgun from outside his office. Even though he might have said "kablammo" the point is still the same. The building has serious security issues that a coat of paint will not fix.
As we walked through her Commonwealth Attorney's office, Keri Gusmann came out to say hello. As I took a picture of a dehumidifier, she said there are five in the office that get emptied three times a day. Gusmann said she'll even try to come in on weekends to empty them.
Rosie, one of the building's maintenance staff, was nice enough to open the room that housed some of her cleaning supplies. It was less a room and more cramped closet with numerous geothermal and plumbing pipes running through it. Her cleaning cart barely fit inside. The other room she opened showed more geothermal pipes sharing a room with computer equipment and the buildings telecommunications board. The pipes showed clear signs of leaking.
Having a degree in Criminal Justice, I'm well versed with the basic tenants of law enforcement. When Mason showed me the holding cells for defendants coming to court, I was shocked at how few there were. Having four cells twenty years ago may have been enough but not for the present case load. Mason said there were 94 felony cases in Circuit Court in 1994. In the first three months of 2019, he said there have been 238 cases. He added that during a recent court day, six people needed to share a cell designed for one person. While I am okay with punishing those that do wrong, I think this opens the County to potential litigation on the grounds of cruel and unusual punishment.
As we continued through the rat's maze of corridors, we came through the hallway shared by defendants, judges, and attorneys. Further proof that the building is not as secure as it could be or should be.
We saw some of the larger rooms in the building that had seating for 30 to 40 people. Mason said that they use it during jury selection but sometimes need to put the other 30 to 40 potential jurors in the Revercomb's Board Room, requiring citizens to walk across the parking lot and subjecting them to the elements and potential security threats. The rooms also showed signs of leaking. Mason said the ceiling tiles had been replaced so many times, they no longer matched.
We took a quick look at the two rooms that had been closed off during the mold remediation. While the carpet was new, there were still signs of peeling paint and leaky doors.
Once again in the main hallway, we saw a painting by John "Jack" Darling of Washington's Mill hanging on a wall. A wall of peeling paint.
Another trip through another office led us to encounter a unique set of offices. A room led to an office through a door. Yet, in the same wall, was another door. There was no evidence of any previous wall or any reason to have two doors in one wall. Adding to this confusion was why one room was much warmer and more humid than the rest. The nice employee that tolerated me poking around said the new HVAC units made things better in some places but worse in others.
One oddly shaped office still showed clear signs of efflorescence. During my last visit to Mason's office, he had much larger signs of efflorescence that had since been removed. For those not familiar with it, efflorescence is a visible indicator that not only is there a leak, but the minerals in the wall are dissolving. I touched it to see if it was a painted crack or imperfection from the original construction. Instead it turned to powder in my fingers and I immediately regretted my decision.
The grand entrance to the Courthouse, as it was built in 1922, is no longer in use and instead serves as an emergency exit. The entryway also serves as a holding pen for those waiting to go into the courtrooms. With defendants, plaintiffs, attorneys, children, and more sharing a small space, it can easily get crowded. Seating is limited and hallways are narrow. My tour was during a "slow" court day and I still had to endure winding my way through the 20 or so people standing in the hallway.
We concluded my tour back in Mason's office where I took two final pictures. They show the same corner above two plaques honoring citizens that have served the County. Above both plaques, the signs of mold remediation are apparent. What you don't see is the efflorescence and water stains that were there a few weeks ago.
As I said previously, there were certain things I didn't take a picture of so you will need to rely on my descriptions instead. First, the security issues. I won't detail the problems for fear that somebody could exploit them. But I will reiterate some of those already made public in previous Supervisor meetings. Shared hallways. Weak sally port. Narrow hallways. Blocked exits. Shared waiting areas. Cramped holding cells. The list continues beyond this and, in my opinion, is much scarier than it sounds. I firmly believe it's not a matter of "if" something bad will happen but "when" something bad will happen.
The second major issue I didn't take pictures of is the overcrowding. From the heart of the building, the court room, to the outside parking lot, the building is entirely too small to serve the needs of the residents and County employees. Even though it was a slow day in court, we hastily went through a courtroom while the judge was in recess. The front row was empty because only a small child could fit there. The other rows were crowded and looked like they had as much legroom as an airplane or school bus. Outside in the parking lot I saw attorneys talking to their clients because they had no meeting room available to discuss their case in private. I saw a line of people waiting to pay fines stretching out into the hallway. A few days after the tour, Mason sent me images from the security cameras on a much busier day.
Our Courthouse was built in 1922, added onto in 1953 and again in the 1970s, and renovated in 1995. Fire repairs were made in 2006 and security upgrades were made in 2014. But at nearly 100 years old, the building is showing serious signs of age. Moisture is wicking up from the concrete slab, water is draining towards the foundation, and the roof leaks. Augustus Washington, George Washington's father, filed his will in our Courthouse. Housing documents of any importance does not appear safe. Housing the 20 to 30 staff members on a daily basis isn't safe either.
When I asked Mason what he felt the big issues were, he said the security issues and lack of space boiled down to public safety. After taking a tour that gave me access to 90% of the building, I'm inclined to agree. I avoided the political hotbed issue of what the solution should be and instead asked Mason what he would do with the Courthouse if a new one was built. He said the issues outside really needed to be addressed first, namely the drainage. Then inside, it should be gutted and refurbished. After that, he said a number of people could easily occupy the space including the King George County Historical Society, the County Registrar, a welcome center, and more. As a lifetime member of the King George County Historical Society, I admit I'm partial to opening a museum inside.
One final thought in closing. Mason said many people argue against a new Courthouse because they don't want to build a "palace for the judges and the criminals." When you've been working in a Courthouse that's more like an outhouse, anything resembling indoor plumbing would certainly feel like a palace.
After I concluded my interview with local leader Vic Mason, Clerk of the Circuit Court, I asked if I could take a tour of the building to see if it was really as bad as everyone said. Not that I didn't believe the reports but I had never really seen much first hand. Aside from some peeling paint, it looked just fine at first glance. It turned out I was wrong. Very wrong.
As a casual observer, it is easy to walk past the issues on your way to a trial or to research deeds. But if you slow down, the issues will start to appear. Diving deeper into the labyrinth of offices make things even easier to see, and in some cases, feel.
Starting in Mason's office, we could see where the mold remediation had taken a toll on the cinder block wall itself. In order to remove the mold, large pieces of the block had to be removed. This scene was repeated throughout the building in numerous rooms and offices.
 |
| Removing mold required removal of parts of the wall. |
While still in his office area, we saw computer equipment sitting directly under geothermal lines in the ceiling. Mason said they had leaked several times, requiring the replacement of a large scanner.
 |
| Peeling paint and a dirty air vent were common throughout the building. |
The Courthouse stores many historical documents. Some are copies and some are originals. For those documents where we house the copies, the originals are housed in Richmond. Because some of these documents are stored in older formats, older equipment is necessary to access them.
 |
| For those under 40, this is a microfilm machine. |
I could have spent all day taking photos of peeling paint in the Courthouse. It really is that bad.
 |
| The main hallway paint is peeling. |
 |
| A judge's office has peeling paint. |
Before I started the tour, I told Mason that I didn't want to take pictures of people to preserve their privacy. I also didn't want to take pictures of anything related to the security of the building. He offered to tell me when I was getting ready to take a picture of something I shouldn't. While in a judge's office, the judge commented that it wasn't a secure location and that nothing prevented a bad guy from going "kablooie" with a shotgun from outside his office. Even though he might have said "kablammo" the point is still the same. The building has serious security issues that a coat of paint will not fix.
As we walked through her Commonwealth Attorney's office, Keri Gusmann came out to say hello. As I took a picture of a dehumidifier, she said there are five in the office that get emptied three times a day. Gusmann said she'll even try to come in on weekends to empty them.
 |
| One of three dehumidifiers I saw running non-stop. |
Rosie, one of the building's maintenance staff, was nice enough to open the room that housed some of her cleaning supplies. It was less a room and more cramped closet with numerous geothermal and plumbing pipes running through it. Her cleaning cart barely fit inside. The other room she opened showed more geothermal pipes sharing a room with computer equipment and the buildings telecommunications board. The pipes showed clear signs of leaking.
 |
| Rust on metal means something leaks. |
 |
| The large white pipe showed signs of leaking. In the background is a rack of computer equipment and the entire backbone of the phone system. |
Having a degree in Criminal Justice, I'm well versed with the basic tenants of law enforcement. When Mason showed me the holding cells for defendants coming to court, I was shocked at how few there were. Having four cells twenty years ago may have been enough but not for the present case load. Mason said there were 94 felony cases in Circuit Court in 1994. In the first three months of 2019, he said there have been 238 cases. He added that during a recent court day, six people needed to share a cell designed for one person. While I am okay with punishing those that do wrong, I think this opens the County to potential litigation on the grounds of cruel and unusual punishment.
 |
| One of four holding cells. |
As we continued through the rat's maze of corridors, we came through the hallway shared by defendants, judges, and attorneys. Further proof that the building is not as secure as it could be or should be.
We saw some of the larger rooms in the building that had seating for 30 to 40 people. Mason said that they use it during jury selection but sometimes need to put the other 30 to 40 potential jurors in the Revercomb's Board Room, requiring citizens to walk across the parking lot and subjecting them to the elements and potential security threats. The rooms also showed signs of leaking. Mason said the ceiling tiles had been replaced so many times, they no longer matched.
 |
| An alarm located below a leak. |
We took a quick look at the two rooms that had been closed off during the mold remediation. While the carpet was new, there were still signs of peeling paint and leaky doors.
 |
| New carpet, old paint, and a leaky door. |
Once again in the main hallway, we saw a painting by John "Jack" Darling of Washington's Mill hanging on a wall. A wall of peeling paint.
 |
| Darling knew the Kennedys and Jimmy Stewart. |
Another trip through another office led us to encounter a unique set of offices. A room led to an office through a door. Yet, in the same wall, was another door. There was no evidence of any previous wall or any reason to have two doors in one wall. Adding to this confusion was why one room was much warmer and more humid than the rest. The nice employee that tolerated me poking around said the new HVAC units made things better in some places but worse in others.
 |
| More dirty air vents. |
One oddly shaped office still showed clear signs of efflorescence. During my last visit to Mason's office, he had much larger signs of efflorescence that had since been removed. For those not familiar with it, efflorescence is a visible indicator that not only is there a leak, but the minerals in the wall are dissolving. I touched it to see if it was a painted crack or imperfection from the original construction. Instead it turned to powder in my fingers and I immediately regretted my decision.
 |
| That weird wrinkle is efflorescence. |
The grand entrance to the Courthouse, as it was built in 1922, is no longer in use and instead serves as an emergency exit. The entryway also serves as a holding pen for those waiting to go into the courtrooms. With defendants, plaintiffs, attorneys, children, and more sharing a small space, it can easily get crowded. Seating is limited and hallways are narrow. My tour was during a "slow" court day and I still had to endure winding my way through the 20 or so people standing in the hallway.
 |
| The other side of the entryway was full of people. |
We concluded my tour back in Mason's office where I took two final pictures. They show the same corner above two plaques honoring citizens that have served the County. Above both plaques, the signs of mold remediation are apparent. What you don't see is the efflorescence and water stains that were there a few weeks ago.
 |
| Efflorescence has been removed but patching and paint are still needed. |
 |
| Elwood Mason on the left and Joan Owens on the right. |
As I said previously, there were certain things I didn't take a picture of so you will need to rely on my descriptions instead. First, the security issues. I won't detail the problems for fear that somebody could exploit them. But I will reiterate some of those already made public in previous Supervisor meetings. Shared hallways. Weak sally port. Narrow hallways. Blocked exits. Shared waiting areas. Cramped holding cells. The list continues beyond this and, in my opinion, is much scarier than it sounds. I firmly believe it's not a matter of "if" something bad will happen but "when" something bad will happen.
The second major issue I didn't take pictures of is the overcrowding. From the heart of the building, the court room, to the outside parking lot, the building is entirely too small to serve the needs of the residents and County employees. Even though it was a slow day in court, we hastily went through a courtroom while the judge was in recess. The front row was empty because only a small child could fit there. The other rows were crowded and looked like they had as much legroom as an airplane or school bus. Outside in the parking lot I saw attorneys talking to their clients because they had no meeting room available to discuss their case in private. I saw a line of people waiting to pay fines stretching out into the hallway. A few days after the tour, Mason sent me images from the security cameras on a much busier day.
 |
| Faces redacted for privacy. |
 |
| Faces redacted for privacy. |
Our Courthouse was built in 1922, added onto in 1953 and again in the 1970s, and renovated in 1995. Fire repairs were made in 2006 and security upgrades were made in 2014. But at nearly 100 years old, the building is showing serious signs of age. Moisture is wicking up from the concrete slab, water is draining towards the foundation, and the roof leaks. Augustus Washington, George Washington's father, filed his will in our Courthouse. Housing documents of any importance does not appear safe. Housing the 20 to 30 staff members on a daily basis isn't safe either.
When I asked Mason what he felt the big issues were, he said the security issues and lack of space boiled down to public safety. After taking a tour that gave me access to 90% of the building, I'm inclined to agree. I avoided the political hotbed issue of what the solution should be and instead asked Mason what he would do with the Courthouse if a new one was built. He said the issues outside really needed to be addressed first, namely the drainage. Then inside, it should be gutted and refurbished. After that, he said a number of people could easily occupy the space including the King George County Historical Society, the County Registrar, a welcome center, and more. As a lifetime member of the King George County Historical Society, I admit I'm partial to opening a museum inside.
One final thought in closing. Mason said many people argue against a new Courthouse because they don't want to build a "palace for the judges and the criminals." When you've been working in a Courthouse that's more like an outhouse, anything resembling indoor plumbing would certainly feel like a palace.
Good article. Really captures the problems. I've been in the courthouse many times, but never really paid attention. This is very educational!
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