Channel 29 has reported that the county is going to fund a study to decide how to handle the need for more office space and courtroom space. Presumably the study will look at the option of moving the General District Court to the old Levy Opera House or whether a new complex should be built in the county. The Levy Opera House was used by the Juvenile and Domestic Courts while their recently renovated Courthouse was completed.
As much as there is a need for space there is also a need for another judge to sit in Albemarle and Charlottesville. The current case load for these two courts is simply too high for the two judges that currently sit. With civil cases being set one year out in the county and eighteen months out in the city, there is a need for another judge. While there is a need, there is no state funding nor an extra courtroom that is large enough to facilitate another full time judge.
As far as moving the courts out into the county, I hope the Board of Supervisors decides against this. Too many counties have build large court complexes that are very sterile and lack any character. One of the wonderful parts of this area is the historic Court Square. I hope the county will work to find the space it needs while maintaining the Court Square history.
