BHC commissioners ponder Lovell Annex improvements

Big Horn County’s maintenance supervisor, Jeremy Pouska, spent most of his time at the commission’s Oct. 1 meeting discussing the Lovell Annex. 

He started with the old attorney’s office, saying two rooms are in need of some touch-up work and installation of flooring.  “How do we want to attack (handle) the circuit court, judge’s chambers, jury room, and courtroom?” he asked the commission.

 “They are the last areas that need to be spruced up. Do we want to do a total rehab as we’ve done with the rest of the building? Meaning tearing out the walls, painting and flooring? Or do we just want to do the flooring in these areas?” 

He said there are some variables that will play into that decision including if the courtroom would remain a courtroom. He is in favor in doing all the work on the rooms at once rather than one room at a time. 

Commission Chair Bruce Jolley replied, “In my opinion, whether the court stays or not, I think we need to continue down that road or it will never get done.” 

Commissioner Deb Craft said it’s an unknown what the county is going to do with the building. “When we think about the times we are going into and the money that is being spent. If we put into that courtroom, then you spend money to send two officers with a prisoner that has to travel from here to Lovell to attend that court. I think it makes more sense to put our money in the courtroom here and that it stays right here. The sheriff’s office is right here. They walk across the parking lot to attend court here. They are not in a vehicle using gas, using two officers and transporting prisoners. It’s all costly to have it up there. Safety and expense.” 

Craft said she believes something should be done with the building, but is concerned that Pouska puts time, money and effort in it only to have the use of those rooms change. She suggests the county ask the state what their intentions are as far as having court there. 

Deputy County Attorney Jennifer Kirk said the courtroom at the annex is the only one the county can use for a circuit court jury trial. “We cannot have a jury trial in the basement here,” said Kirk. “There is a potential we could have two different trials going on.” That would be a rarity; however, the circuit court judge has stated he will not use the upstairs court room in the courthouse. 

Craft asked if the judge has been spoken to lately about this. Kirk indicated yes and that her office has been told that circuit court jury trials will be in Lovell. She added that holding those trials in the basement is impossible. Last year there were two circuit court jury trials. Currently there are “quite a few” docketed but it is hard to say how many will go to trial. She suggested having a discussion with Judge Luhm regarding the jury trails. 

Kirk said the county no longer transports inmates back to Lovell for court, but the annex courtroom is used once a month for the people who live in the north end of the county. If they receive a traffic citation and want to appear in person, they may on the once-a-month court day. She added there are a lot of elderly and disabled people that utilize that court, so they don’t have to drive to Basin. Kirk clarified she is not trying to tell the county what to do and advising that the courtroom is used.

She also noted one of the challenges at having a circuit court jury trial in the district courtroom is difficult because there is no workspace for the circuit court staff. 

Jolley stated that while he doesn’t want to take away the service for the people on the north end, he doesn’t believe the county can afford to keep three courtrooms in place. Pouska suggested turning the jury room into a zoom courtroom. Kirk said that is not supposed to be done as a normal course of doing business. There is no bailiff, court staff, etc. 

There was some discussion about the need to redo the jury box. Jolley spoke with Circuit Court Chief Clerk Diane Nuttall. She told him the box does not need to be redone. The decision was made to hold off on doing any work until all parties involved in the use of the courthouse could meet.