Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette The narrow hallway of the 97th District Court will no longer be accessible to the general public, which will eliminate a major security concern.

HOUGHTON – The 97th District Court, on the third floor of the Houghton County Courthouse, is undergoing extensive security upgrades and renovations. “There are more security upgrades, I want to say, because we have no security whatsoever. I know we’re a small-town courthouse and it’s basically free access,” Nickole Jollimore, court administrator and magistrate, said. “But that still doesn’t mean that things aren’t getting more dangerous as time goes on, and we’ve had hostile people come in. We’ve had threats being made to the courthouse and specifically to the district court or district court staff. We need safety.”

In October, the county posted an RFP (request for proposals) for the work to be done. According to ConstructConnect’s website, the scope of work includes selective interior demolition, wood framing, interior finishes, HVAC, plumbing, lighting, electrical.

The work had been planned for a number of years. In 2019, the Michigan Supreme Court ordered courthouses to form security committees to address safety concerns and shortcomings. The 97th District Court was no exception. In October, 2022, for example, Jollimore told the HOughton County Board of Commissioners there is no physical barrier for the clerk in District Court. Metal detectors were also lacking, as well as the need to transport inmates from the jail to the courthouse outdoors.

In 2022, the county received $6,931,199 in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds. In October of that year, the Board approved $400,000 for the District Court and Magistrate’s Office for security upgrades.

In January, 2023, the county approved requesting a proposal from U.P. Engineers & Architects for architectural and engineering professional services for district court security upgrades, a single-point public entry for the courthouse, to include security checkpoints and secured access for staff and detainees.

Among the upgrades are changes to the hallway. Jollimore said as it was, everybody was shoved in the hallway, including defendants, attorneys, and the general public. “Even the judge had to walk back and forth,” she said. “Well, that’s going to be closed off and we’re going to have security doors.”

Currently, the clerk’s office was located in the rear of the court hall. That is being moved to the front, Jollimore said, and will be equipped with a bullet-proof teller window, which will eliminate public access. Until now, the courtroom could be accessed through two doors, an issue Jollimore said is also being addressed.

“They always kept the door at the back of the courtroom locked,” she said. “But if anyone wanted to – really wanted to try – they could get through. That’s how it was. But, I mean, that’s all eliminated. One of the doors will be walled up.”

The third-floor renovation project was an estimated $400,000, with almost half dedicated to the District Court renovations. “I want to say almost $200,000 – we could say that,” Jollimore said. “But the $400,000 also included upgrades to the magistrate’s office, on the fifth floor.”

That aspect of the project, she said has already been completed. “If you walk into our office, you’ll see that we have the bulletproof glass, the wall up the security door.”