Juvenile Court closed; inspection finds mold, asbestos, lead paint

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court Building will be closed indefinitely as maintenance operations are underway to address issues discovered following an inspection of the building, Juvenile Court Judge Tarik Sugarmon said.

In a statement made by Sugarmon, he said that the staff was told by County Officials that the building needed to close based on inspection results. Findings uncovered various issues such as asbestos, mold and lead paint.

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In response to the results, environmental clean-up experts were brought in to assess the situation. Sugarmon said it was determined, upon evaluation, that the building should be closed until these concerns are adequately addressed to ensure the safety of the Juvenile Court staff and the public.

The process began last Thursday and at the time, Sugarmon said they were of the understanding that they could reopen on Monday. However, they later learned that they would be closed longer.

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Anticipating the potential for prolonged maintenance, the court developed a contingency plan to ensure continuity of operations during the period of closure.

Until all necessary maintenance tasks to address the identified issues are completed and confirmation of safety is obtained from the Shelby County Health Department, Sugarmon said the Juvenile Court Building will remain closed to the public.

He adds that there is no definitive timeline for the reopening of the building.

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