Grand Forks County has opportunities to alleviate courthouse space issues
May 22—GRAND FORKS — A Grand Forks County space utilization study found that much of the office space in the courthouse is smaller per person than any other office space in county buildings.
The study, conducted by JLG Architects, was presented to the Grand Forks County Commission at its Tuesday meeting and showed many opportunities for the county to better optimize space and alleviate the limitations of departments. Space constraints for the Clerk of Courts Office and the State's Attorney Office were the main point of conversation, given how much smaller their office spaces are compared to the other departments.
"The Clerk of Courts (Office) right now has about 116 square feet per person. That was by far the lowest square foot per occupant," said Shawn Senescall with JLG. "The discrepancy there between the courts and the other departments was a big red flag for us."
The typical department has 200 to 300 square feet per person. Both the Clerk of Courts Office and the State's Attorney Office, 181 square feet per person, are at the bottom of the list.
Senescall said that moving the State's Attorney's Office to the county office building is not an ideal solution, but it does free space in the building for improving circulation on the first floor and expanding the clerk's office. State's Attorney Haley Wamstad said JLG's idea of moving her department to the county office building creates several logistical and safety challenges.
"We're functioning properly and adequately at our office and would rather be jammed in like sardines in the courthouse than to be relocated to the county office building," Wamstad said. "Why aren't other areas in the courthouse able to relocate? And I'm not sure that question has really been well vetted or really thought through."
Wamstad also mentioned that between the transport of paper case files and the amount of time her staff spends in court, moving across the street would create workflow challenges. Grand Forks would also be the only county in the state where a full-time State's Attorney's Office is not in the courthouse, according to Wamstad's discussion with the executive director of the North Dakota Association of Counties.
The study says
moving the sheriff's office into the county office building
creates many potential conflicts and simple logistical issues being spread across the building. There isn't enough space on the first floor for the department so the department would likely be spread across the building's available spaces.
"You're separating that department, which didn't seem intuitive. It didn't seem ideal for a long-term security solution for the Sheriff's Office," Senescall said. "The other important factor to highlight is parking. ... There's not a great scenario for working that out."
Senescall said the best opportunity is some form of a new space for the sheriff's office, whether a new build or a leased space somewhere. There are opportunities in the Juvenile Detention Center space connected to the courthouse, but there would be a lot of work and money involved in renovating the space to make it be usable.
Commissioners said they will sit with the study, likely revisiting it in June when proposals for the Sheriff's Office come back.
In other news, the commission:
* Received the Grand Forks Public Library's 2023 annual report. The number of checkouts and visitors are at or near pre-pandemic levels and Library Director Wendy Wendt said the library is excited about their new children's department that was recently renovated.
* Formally approved 2024 to be the 150th anniversary of the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Department. With some of the historical records lost and the many reorganizations of the county before North Dakota became a state, 1874 was the best year to pin down a date.
