Municipal Court asking New Philadelphia for help to fix ‘deteriorating’ building
NEW PHILADELPHIA – The municipal court building in New Philadelphia is in bad shape, and its administrators are asking the city for $300,000 to help fix it up.
Court Administrator Judith Dzigiel used words like antiquated and abysmal as she described deteriorating floors, ceilings, stairs and heating units in the 75-year-old building at 166 E. High Ave. in New Philadelphia.
“The running joke is, ‘How much more lipstick are you going to put on the pig?’” she said.
Some of the problems Dzigiel highlighted:
- Cracking and peeling floors and stairs with asbestos issues (“With the asbestos, we’ve been told, ‘You’re going to have to leave the building.’”);
- Ceilings with water damage from a mysterious source (“The roof continues to leak somewhere. Where? Anywhere. It depends on the day.”);
- Inadequate lighting;
- Old bathrooms that are not ADA compliant (“I don’t think our restrooms have ever been renovated.”); and
- Heating systems that don’t operate consistently.
She says 37 percent of the court’s funding comes from New Philadelphia. Mayor Joel Day wondered if other municipalities should contribute more for the repairs.
“Does the ORC give us the ability to say, ‘Look, we need to put a new floor in there. You’re going to help pay for it’?”
Court and city officials will explore options as New Philadelphia continues working on its 2025 budget.
Screen shots from a Court Administrator Judith Dzigiel’s presentation to City Council.
