It’s time for a new courthouse in SpringfieldDate: 9/1/2021 Hampden County DA Anthony Gulluni took a step that is long overdue. Last week he moved his staff out of the Hampden County Court House because of issues in the building that are affecting people’s health.
This is nothing new as legal staff have been complaining for years about the mold, among other problems, that are common in the building.
Now for our Hampshire County readers, the courthouse is one of those cast cement buildings that has extremely poor ventilation. It is a highly impractical structure and many elected officials have called for its replacement.
It looks like a bunker and it quite jarring in the historic Court Square area.
It is also one of the busiest courts in the commonwealth.
Gulluni sent an email to his staff that read in part, “Due to environmental concerns in the buildings, I am instructing you to evacuate the courthouse and report to the main conference room on the 21st floor of Tower Square. Please do so immediately, but with due care and caution. Please take any files or other work materials with you that you will need to continue your work. ADAs should also have your laptops with which you can work remotely from Tower Square. We will continue to meet the demands of criminal justice to the extent necessary, including appearing in court; however, I seek for all my employees to avoid that environment as much as we can.”
Register of Deeds Cheryl Coakley-Rivera did the same thing. She issued a similar statement: “Due to the hazardous health conditions within the Roderick Ireland Courthouse, we will no longer be operating out of this location. We will continue to operate daily from our Westfield Satellite Office (located at City Hall, 59 Court Street, Westfield, MA). Normal business hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 4:30. All business, including recording plans and land court, will be accepted at this location. Please know that service will not be interrupted at any time.”
The DA and the register are not joking here and I applaud them for taking a stand that might just put the courthouse issue once more up front. Coakley-Rivera even released photos of mold on ceiling tiles and the spines of law books, among other places.
If there isn’t a better example of the lack of regional equity in the commonwealth, it is this building.
Gov. Charlie Baker, House leaders, Senate leaders listen up: this needs to be fixed and fixed as soon as possible.
Can we use American Recovery Plan Act funds toward a new building? If so, what in the name of all that is holy are we waiting for?
Perhaps it will take a lawsuit or two from employees who have become ill thanks to exposure to mold.
It is time for the Baker Administration and the Legislature to act promptly. A provisional location needs to found so the business of the court can continue, Yes, I know the former theaters at the Eastfield Mall are being used for court business but it’s not enough.
It will take years for a new court house to be built, so let’s start the process now.
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