The jury box may be the only part of the Bartholomew Circuit courtroom that won’t undergo a total transformation in the next five weeks.
The renovation is believed to be the most elaborate upgrade inside the courthouse since substantial improvements were completed in the county clerk’s office in March 2019.
In terms of basic remodeling, the second-floor upgrade in Judge Kelly Benjamin’s courtroom should cost no more than $15,000, county maintenance director Rick Trimpe said. The lower cost is largely made possible by having county employees handling the labor, instead of contractors, has made several projects more affordable.
But when you start adding new and sophisticated equipment, costs start to rise sharply. In fact, up to $200,000 may be spent to upgrade the audio/video systems in all three main courtrooms to provide state-of-the-art teleconferencing abilities, according to estimates discussed by county officials in the fall.
Decisions regarding the purchase of these new audio/visual systems have been delayed multiple times this month while local officials work out details with potential vendors, commissioner’s chairman Carl Lienhoop said.
Once installed, these new systems will allow a number of routine hearings to be held virtually, with the defendant, prosecutor and defense attorney all appearing in different locations if necessary. It is similar to the equipment being utilized by both the county commissioners and council in the Bartholomew County Governmental Office building one block east from the courthouse.
For more on this story, see Monday’s Republic.
