Clerk of Court aimed to make the courthouse more inviting, easier to navigate

When people find themselves at the Burke County Courthouse, it’s not often a joyous occasion. Whether it’s a traffic citation, death of a loved one, or family situations turned into legal matters, most people are not rejoicing to set foot in the courthouse.

Whatever the circumstances, a courthouse environment can exacerbate people’s anxieties or frustration. Clerk of Court Crystal Carpenter knows this, and kept it in mind as she helped redesign the courthouse.

In many places, the courthouse’s brown and beige color scheme has been replaced with white and soft shades of grey. Where once the clerk of court’s three divisions were spread out, they’re now closer and easier for the public to find.

“People don’t like coming here,” Carpenter said. “But the more we can do (to help them), whether it’s through our actions or through how the building’s laid out … that’s my goal.”

The grant-funded, $2.8 million courthouse renovation project started about a year ago, Carpenter said. County Manager Brian Epley estimates it will be finished by the second week of December.

Epley said in a previous article that a courthouse is a county’s single most expensive piece of capital infrastructure. Since building a new one was unaffordable, extending the almost 50-year-old courthouse’s lifespan was the primary goal of this project.

The project included renovating the courthouse basement and the clerk of court offices on the first floor, adding a courtroom, and repainting. A new roof was also put on the building.

The basement, which had not been used for about four years, according to Carpenter, now houses a larger district attorney (DA) office.

Before, the DA office was a cramped space on the building’s first floor. Storage space had run out and the offices were “little bitty cubicles,” Carpenter said.

Assistant District Attorney Mitch Walker said the old DA office was bursting at the seams. The office had completely run out of storage, and was having to use the hallway to store files.

Walker said that he and others working in the DA office are grateful for the move to an area with more space.

On the ground level, the clerk of court divisions were too spread out for Carpenter’s liking. Moving the DA office made it so, with some renovations, the three divisions could be pulled closer together. In turn, the clerk of court offices became easier for the public to locate.

Employees also needed a comfortable, workable space, Carpenter said.

“But just as important is that the space that we have is comfortable, inviting, and works for the public,” Carpenter said. “This building is not ours. (It belongs to) the citizens of Burke County.”