U.S. court in West Palm to reopen

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U.S. court in West Palm to reopen, easing Fort Pierce load

By Bill Douthat

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/storm/content/local_news/epaper/2006/03/

09/m1b_tcfedcourt_0309.html

Thursday, March 09, 2006

The federal courthouse in West Palm Beach is scheduled to reopen in

early April, federal officials said Wednesday.

The building was ordered closed 16 months ago after water damage

from the 2004 hurricanes caused mold and mildew contamination.

Trials and hearings were moved to federal courthouses in Fort

Lauderdale and Fort Pierce, which have seen higher than normal

traffic for the past year.

Judges, attorneys and clerks have been making the trip up to Fort

Pierce to use the federal courthouse in St. Lucie County.

Regular employees in the Fort Pierce courthouse have cleared

courtroom space for weekly hearings, grand jury proceedings and

entire trials for Palm Beach County cases.

Court clerks in Palm Beach County are working in leased offices on

Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard in West Palm Beach.

Setbacks in repairing the building in West Palm Beach included a

water pipe break in October and an air quality reading this year

that still detected mold.

" The renovation is nearing final completion, " said General Services

Administration spokesman Mote. " Hopefully we can put this all

to rest and get them back into the building. "

Reopening is scheduled during the first two weeks of April, Mote

said.

U.S. District Judge Zloch, chief of Florida's Southern

District, said he's waiting for more air quality tests before

signing off on the reopening.

" No one wants to open more than I do, " Zloch said. " I know the

strain it's been on the judges, their staff and the litigants and

their clients. "

Zloch said test samples have shown good results except one taken in

a courtroom that detected Stachybotrys mold that can give off toxins

harmful to humans.

After Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne struck in September 2004, some

of the 130 courthouse workers complained about headaches, sinus

problems and watery eyes.

" I have a responsibility to make sure the building is safe for the

court family and the general public so they are not being exposed to

health hazard, " Zloch said.

Mote said the Stachybotrys discovery was minimal and limited to one

area on a carpet.

Zloch said the 33-year-old courthouse has been a

maintenance " nightmare " that he blames on the failure of Congress to

adequately fund the building's upkeep over the years.

" I don't fault the General Services Administration, " he said. " They

are doing the best job with a very bad situation to begin with. "