Judicial center toilet leak causes extensive damage

The Whitley County Judicial Center in Williamsburg (the new courthouse) will remain closed all this week and possibly longer, due to a weekend water leak that caused significant damage to portions of all three floors of the building. Officials aren’t sure yet when it will reopen to the public.

A weekend water leak from a third floor toilet at the Whitley County Judicial Center damaged three floors of the building. This is a view of the first floor Whitley Circuit Clerk bookkeeper’s office Monday morning.

“We have contacted a company that is going to come in and do the renovation on it. It is not something that is going to be overnight because everything is going to have to dry out for one thing,” said Circuit Court Clerk Gary Barton.

Court has been canceled all this week, and affected parties will be notified about their new court date.

“We apologize for the inconvenience. We will be open as soon as we can to serve the people of Whitley County,” Barton added Tuesday afternoon.

Barton’s district clerk’s office in Corbin, which is located at 1805 South Main Street, is still open and operating for anyone needing to renew a driver’s license or pay a fine. It is open to the public Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

A walk thru was done with the insurance adjuster Tuesday. Although there is no dollar figure on the damage, carpet will have to be replaced in portions of the building, painting will have to be done and woodworking will have to be replaced or repaired among many other repairs.

Barton noted that it is fair to say that the damage is in the tens of thousands of dollars.

He said that the damage was caused by a water leak from a little used toilet near a third floor conference room, which is located near the Second Street side of the building.

The leak soaked the third floor restroom and leaked down to the second floor in the grand jury meeting room, the grand jury’s waiting room, and into the courtroom of District Judge Cathy Prewitt.

The leak caused ceiling tiles to break and crumble onto the wooden bench seating below some of which also were soaked by water. The water also soaked a portion of the back wall in Prewitt’s second floor courtroom and portions of the back floor in the courtroom.

From there water leaked through the ceiling causing more ceiling tiles to crumble on the first floor in the bookkeeping area of the circuit clerk’s office damaging some furniture and soaking the floors. Water also damaged Barton’s personal office space and that of a deputy clerk, whose office was also located along the Second Street side of the building. At least four computers in Barton’s office were damaged.

By noon Monday, the carpeted floors in Barton’s office still made a squishing sound as you walked on them.

Barton said that a few files got damp and some work would have to be done on those.

Barton said that all officials know is that the waterline leak happened sometime over the weekend.

Curtis Surgener, who is in charge of maintenance at the judicial center, contacted Barton about 10:30 p.m. Sunday to inform him about the damage.

Barton, who was at a circuit clerk’s conference Sunday when he got the call about the leak, said that someone, who has an office in the judicial center, apparently went into the office Sunday, noticed the moisture, and contacted Surgener about it.

He said that fortunately, most of the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) officials that he needed to speak with about the leak were also at the conference Monday morning.

Barton returned to Williamsburg Monday afternoon.

Serve Pro was on hand at the judicial center on Monday. This isn’t the same Serve Pro company that renovated the Mason’s building in Williamsburg after a fire there a few years ago.

Barton said that he isn’t sure how long the judicial center will remain closed

“I feel sure we will be down at least one week. The courts – because of COVID – we know how to work remotely,” Barton said. “It is going to be a big mess for a while.”

The circuit courtroom on the third floor of the judicial center wasn’t damaged, and neither was Whitley District Judge Fred White’s courtroom on the second floor of the building.

“Two of our four courtrooms are still accessible and usable,” he said.