4 days ago
Repairs for two Kentucky county courthouses following April floods could cost $11 million
The Franklin County Courthouse in Frankfort on March 26, 2025. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)
The estimated cost to repair two Kentucky county courthouses following April floods is about $11 million, an Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) official told lawmakers Tuesday.
Danny Rhoades, the executive officer of AOC, told members of the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary that insurance claims are still being filed to fix issues at the Hardin and Franklin county courthouses. However, the state may need to pay to address lingering issues.
Rhoades did note that the insurance coverage for the Franklin County Courthouse is about $1 million. Officials are also waiting to see if FEMA can cover some costs or reimbursements of courthouse repairs, but no federal emergency declaration has been given for public facilities at this time.
'But we have to get these back up and operational and repaired as quickly as possible. So the court will need your all's help,' Rhoades said to the committee.
In addition to the Franklin and Hardin county buildings, the Perry County Hall of Justice also suffered some damage from early April floods. Wind damaged some roof panels on the Perry County Courthouse and some water entered the building, but that was quickly repaired, Rhoades said.
Since it was built about 28 years ago, the Hardin County Justice Center had never flooded until April, Rhoades said. The building had 18 inches of flood water in its basement, which did house court records and some electrical equipment. Court operations in Hardin County were suspended while electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems were evaluated and the water receded.
However, operations for the Franklin County Courthouse are still happening offsite due to flooding in the lowest level of the building. Last week, the Franklin Circuit Clerk's office, as well as some in-person proceedings for the circuit and district court, moved to the Administrative Office of the Courts' campus at 1001 Vandalay Drive in Frankfort. The building was previously a Home Depot store. For a few weeks, the court had in-person proceedings in the Court of Appeals chambers on Chamberlin Avenue. Some proceedings for people in custody have taken place at the Frankfort Regional Jail.
3. Disaster Response
During April, water reached four feet on the first floor of the Franklin courthouse. That's where the circuit clerk offices, security office, specialty courtrooms and holding cells are. Also, the building's mechanical and electrical systems were damaged by water. Rhoades said it took a week for water to be pumped out of the building.
Judge Thomas Wingate, the chief circuit judge for Franklin County, also appeared before the committee and detailed how staff members moved court records throughout the night and early morning to save them from flood water, adding that he could not help much because of a recent back surgery.
'It actually started coming in about — I don't know — it was like 10 o'clock in the morning,' Wingate told lawmakers. 'By 11, I ordered everybody out. I thought someone was going to get electrocuted. It was coming in that quick.'
Wingate said that as a circuit judge, most of his caseload has not been affected. The courthouse and jail have reverted to some COVID-era protocols, meaning court can be held virtually over Zoom meetings.
'As you all know, since sometimes you all are in my court, it's Monday and Wednesday at nine, I just do it from my living room,' Wingate said.
As Franklin County is home to Kentucky's capital city, most court cases involving state officials or government are filed in the local circuit court.
An AOC spokesperson recently told the Kentucky Lantern that full restoration of the Franklin County Courthouse may take over a year. AOC has hired an architect to develop options for restoration or renovation, but has not yet chosen a construction company.
Rhoades said repairing electrical panels within the Franklin County Courthouse should be completed within the next couple of weeks. Then, the HVAC and plumbing systems will be evaluated for damage. An alternative space for the circuit clerk's office will need to be elsewhere in the building once systems are reestablished.
'I will say that this is a major, major catastrophic flooding event that we basically are having a lot of expenses accumulate on,' Rhoades said.
A piece of legislation passed earlier this year included a restricted funds carry-forward balance for the Courts of Justice, Rhoades said. However, the courts will need authorization from the legislature to use the funds available for repairs.
