Courthouse repairs continue

EDINBURG -- Two courtrooms that sustained severe water damage earlier this year could reopen as soon as this week, Hidalgo County officials said.

But it could take months before the county's courthouse is operating as normal again.

A burst pipe in March on the building's second floor sent several gallons of water through the walls and light fixtures, completely flooding two courtrooms and seeping into two others on the floor below.

While repairs to the 275th and 370th state District Courts have moved quickly, County Court-at-law No. 5 and 92nd state District Court - the site of the pipe rupture - remain gutted.

"It may be another month and a half to two months before we can re-open those courts," said project manager Javier Carreon of the latter two courtrooms.

Employees for all four courts have been forced to relocate while work crews pull out reams of damp carpet and courthouse benches. Judges have convened morning docket conferences in basements, backrooms and any other available space to keep cases moving.

The often crowded morning meetings have been a tight fit in the space available, said Arnoldo Cantu, the presiding judge for Hidalgo County Court-at-law No. 5. His court often has more than 50 cases called by 11 a.m.

"It's been a little complicated to try and board space and coordinate with other courts," he said. "My staff has had to move into the lawyers' lounge."

So far, all the courts have found ways to adjust. In Judge Noé Gonzalez's 370th state District Court, all civil trials have been postponed until the courtroom is repaired, and prosecutors have been urging plea deals in criminal cases.

"Our court has had to remain functional," court reporter Frank Moreno said. "This has pressed us to seek other alternatives."

Construction has been slowed by the discovery of asbestos in some of the building materials used during courthouse construction in the ‘50s. Under federal guidelines, the potentially hazardous material must be removed any time major renovations are done to the building.

But Carreon said the repair work should bring some much needed updates to the aging courthouse.

"We've maintained the property pretty well over the years," he said. "We have to address things that will make it last into the future."

The county is expected to pay only $25,000 for the repairs. Insurance will cover the other estimated $383,000 in construction costs.
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Jeremy Roebuck covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.