Akron Municipal Court is moving: Here's what you need to know

For three decades, Akron Municipal Court judges, clerks and other court employees talked about the need for a new courthouse.

Several locations were considered, then discarded.

The years passed and conditions in the current courthouse building continued to deteriorate.

But now, it’s finally happened.

The court will move next week from the aging Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center down the block to renovated space in what has long been known as the Oliver Ocasek building. That building will have a sign that reads “Akron Municipal Court” on the front entrance when the switch officially happens on Monday, Nov. 13.

Though excited about the move, court officials are concerned about people not knowing where to go.

“People are going to be hella confused,” predicted Debbie Walsh, Akron’s clerk whose office worked out of both locations during the transition from one building to the other.

Ultimately, Walsh said, “we’re trying to make it easier on the public and the police.”

The problems with the nine-story Stubbs building, built in 1966, included elevators that broke down constantly, unpredictable heating and cooling, and the inability to separate witnesses, victims and defendants or for attorneys to meet privately with their clients.

The updated, five-story Ocasek building is expected to address these concerns. The renovations cost about $30 million, which was mostly covered with court fees and the help of financing through the Development Finance Authority of Summit County. The project took nearly three years.

More: Akron moving forward with plans to acquire Ocasek Building to house municipal court

Here’s a look at plans for the courthouse switch and for the future of the Stubbs building and police department.

What will be left in the Stubbs building?

The Akron Police Department will still be in the Stubbs building, located at 217 S. High St., at least for now.

People who need to file a complaint or meet with an officer will continue to go to that building.

Anyone with court business, though, will now need to go to the new court building.

How do I access the new Akron Municipal Court building?

The only way to get in or out of the new court building, located at 172 S. Broadway St., will be through an entrance on the Broadway side.

The other entrances and a skywalk, which fell into disrepair and was deemed too costly to fix, have been closed.

Judge Jon Oldham, the Akron judge who served as the court’s liaison for the project, said the limited access to the building will make it more secure and eliminate the need for security officers in multiple locations.

Security will be provided by Akron officers and a private security firm that already was operating in the building.

Will there be after-hours access at the new municipal court location?

Outside of the court’s normal hours, the clerk’s office will have a vestibule window by the entrance. People will be able to do everything there that they could do after hours at the clerk’s office, such as posting bond and paying fees, Walsh said.

Officers who need to access the clerk’s office after hours will be buzzed into a special entrance that will be only for law enforcement, Walsh said.

Public access to the court offices will be prohibited during non-court hours.

Where will the offices be in the new court building?

The first floor features the higher traffic areas, including the clerk’s office and the arraignment, traffic and small claims courts.

“We do not like elevators,” Oldham joked as he gave a tour of the new space, referring to the problematic elevators in the Stubbs building.

Prisoners will be brought in through a sallyport underneath the building to an area with holding cells and two small meeting rooms where defendants can talk to their attorneys. At the Stubbs building, attorneys had to meet with their clients in holding cells, often in front of other defendants.

The second floor houses the probation department and the law department, including both civil attorneys and prosecutors.

The third floor has the chambers for all six Akron judges, two jury rooms and the court administrator’s office.

Each court has an office where attorneys can have private meetings. In the Stubbs building, this often happened in hallways and stairwells.

The courts have a desk for the bailiff, an office for the judicial attorney and magistrate, a kitchenette and the judge’s chambers.

The courtrooms are larger than those in the Stubbs building and are designed to be handicapped accessible for witnesses and jurors, Oldham said.

“I think the court users are going to appreciate the new courthouse,” said Oldham, who was elected in 2015.

A digital display outside each courtroom will feature a picture of the judge and a listing of that day’s docket.

The two jury rooms each have large conference tables where jurors can sit when they’re deliberating. The jury area also includes two bathrooms and a small kitchenette.

What’s the décor like?

The new court space is decorated in neutral colors of gray, black and white.

The furniture is mostly new, though Oldham said they salvaged what they could from the old building.

The newly painted walls are largely bare. Oldham said the court plans to apply for grants for artwork to adorn them.

Each courtroom features large televisions, which will be used for Zoom sessions and to show evidence during trials.

Does the building still have some state offices?

Several state offices will remain on the fourth and fifth floors.

This includes the Adult Parole Authority, Job and Family Services, Bureau of Worker’s Compensation, Civil Rights Commission. Department of Development and Veterans Service Commission.

More: Big changes for downtown

Will the public have access to the building?

Oldham said an open house will be held in January, though a date hasn’t yet been set.

The 104-seat auditorium in the court building will be open for use by community groups, with dates now being booked in January.

Oldham said the courts will have graduations in the auditorium for their specialized dockets. He said court officials also want to offer sessions to educate the community on issues like landlord/tenant issues and how the courts work.

“We want to make the courts more transparent,” he said.

What will happen to the Stubbs building and the police department?

Shammas Malik, who is expected to be Akron’s new mayor after the Nov. 7 election, has pledged that his administration will develop a plan for the Stubbs building and police department during his first six months in office.

“The police department deserves a permanent solution,” Malik said in a recent interview.

What that plan will involve, how it will be paid for and what the city can afford will need to be determined, Malik said.

“It’s going to be a large investment,” he said. “We’re going to look at every possible source of funding.”

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com, 330-996-3705 and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Municipal Court move: What you need to know