Last year, the coronavirus shut down the Guilford County Courthouse in downtown Greensboro and now a large water leak that occurred during building repairs has done the same for major sections of the Guilford County Courthouse in High Point.
On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Guilford County officials announced the need to temporarily close off most of the courthouse in downtown High Point for at least the first week in January and perhaps longer.
A press release from the county stated that a good deal of the building has been affected by water damage that resulted from a rupture in the pressurized water lines of the courthouse’s fire suppression system.
“Contractors working with experts from Guilford County Facilities Department along with Guilford County Fire Marshall’s Office have defined the problem and have identified the best approach to quickly repair the impacted areas,” a press release from the county states. “At the time of this release information on when the building will reopen is undetermined; however, officials are hopeful courts in High Point will resume on January 11, 2021. Water mitigation professionals are optimistic that the situation will be addressed and handled by mid-week while reserving the option that repairs could take longer.”
Some services in an isolated section of the building won’t be affected. Guilford County Civil and Criminal Magistrate’s Office, and the Family Justice Center in High Point have separate entrances and were unaffected by water damage and therefore will remain open for business at normal hours.
Interim Guilford County Manager and Guilford County Clerk to the Board Robin Keller said in a prepared statement that the county’s highest priority is “to ensure the safety and security of our staff and the public who utilize this building to conduct business daily.”
She added that the county court system maintains standing plans to keep essential services up and running anytime the unexpected happens.
“County and Court personnel responded immediately and are well underway to get the building fully operational as soon as possible,” Keller stated.
A few years ago, water damage in the Greensboro Courthouse caused severe undetected damage due to mold and mildew. It remains today despite repainting and replacement of carpet due to mold and mildew in the inner walls. A number of employees were forced to resign or retire due to their intolerance of the spores that remain, and it still affects visitors who are highly allergic. I wonder if the High Point Courthouse will be affected similarly.