A few years ago the Doddridge County Commission decided that we needed added Courthouse space due to the increase in the use and lack of space in the old Doddridge County Courthouse and approved the building of the new Annex.
This was after the revamping of the Judicial areas to the tune of over a million dollars which included the converting of some of the existing offices in into new offices for Family Court and room for additional employees who assisted the Judge, Prosecutor and others working within the Judicial system.
We have to remember that our Courthouse was constructed @ 1903 after the old Courthouse suffered damage from a fire. Looking back over the years of wear and tear on this building it is believed that the planners and builders of that era did not have a clue to the future number of persons who would be using this building, the number of employees who would work from this building nor the volumes of records that would be required to be stored there over the @ 120 years that it has existed.
Today, there are eleven elected officials, around fifty employees plus thirty summer employees who use the old Courthouse for their base.
It has been said that one Commissioner and each of the elected officials met as a committee to plan the New Annex.
In the not so distant past, prior to starting construction of the Annex, there have been at least three major renovations made to the exterior of the Courthouse and to the main Courtroom as well as other repairs that were needed to the interior.
When the committee was considering the Courthouse expansion, it has been said they considered using the new building as a Judicial Annex, which would deal with everything that has to do with the Court system or it would be an Administrative Annex for the offices that deal with the day to day operations of the County.
At some point, those on the committee decided that the Annex would be an Administrative Annex and would house the County Clerk’s Office (including the deeds, leases and legal documents, the County’s financial department, Probates, Wills and Death Certificates, ect.) the Assessor’s offices, Sheriff’s Offices and Tax Office along with other smaller offices, including the Offices of Emergency Services, Floodplain Office, Commission’s Office Administrator, Solid Waste Authority, and other offices.
The old Courthouse will become the Judicial Annex, and will house the Circuit Court Judges, Family Court, the Prosecutor, Assistant Prosecutor, the Circuit Clerk, the Magistrate Courts, and HOPE, INC along with all of their supporting employees.
By having the old Courthouse to be designated as the Judicial Building, this will prevent the duplication of past renovations to the Courtroom and legal offices.