LIHU‘E — The 100 or so state Department of the Judiciary employees readying for the move into the new courthouse on Kapule Highway are apprehensive about the new facility, with its high-tech computer, phone, security and camera systems, a Judiciary
LIHU‘E — The 100 or so state Department of the Judiciary employees readying for the move into the new courthouse on Kapule Highway are apprehensive about the new facility, with its high-tech computer, phone, security and camera systems, a Judiciary official said.
“The staff is somewhat intimidated,” said Ernie Barreira, Kaua‘i deputy chief courts administrator.
“There’s a lot of anxiety,” said Barreira.
The employees, who currently are spread out not just in the historic old courthouse on ‘Umi Street but in various rented offices spaces around Lihu‘e, are moving from a cramped courthouse into a spacious, designed-for-future-growth, high-tech facility.
It is like moving from a Ford Pinto into a Ford Expedition.
And, while not trying to talk bad about his coworkers, he is faced with the task of facilitating the movement of, basically, “unsophisticated” folks into “a sophisticated environment,” he explained.
They have to learn how to use the new facility, which features over 150 surveillance cameras, cardactivated doors at every turn, areas off-limits to both the public and most employees, and get used to a new telephone system, intercom system, video and audio system for allowing visitors into most areas of the new complex, and much more.
Even chief Judge George Masuoka complained about having to get training on the new telephone system, recalling a time when he simply picked up the receiver and called for the operator.
Perhaps weeks of training planned between today’s blessing and dedication and the Monday, Aug. 22 public opening will allay some of the fears the staff has.
The consolidation of various Judiciary functions (probation, sheriffs, intake, etc.) into one central location also signals the end of the neighborhood court proceedings in Koloa and Hanalei, Barreira said. The former Hanalei courthouse has been offered by state officials to county leaders for meeting space or other purposes, he said.
Officials with the state Department of Accounting and General Services maintain ownership of the Lihu‘e and Koloa courthouses, with the Lihu‘e facility likely to be “dissected” into offices for various state workers, Barreira said.
The exterior of the Lihu‘e courthouse, which is on the register of state historical places, cannot be tampered with, he said. The fate of the Koloa courthouse building, in front of the Koloa Neighborhood Center, has not yet been decided, he said.
The Judiciary employees, even the judges, need training on new phone, computer, camera-monitoring, security requirements and other features of the new courthouse that has already been confused for a luxury hotel by at least one visitor.
“I had to redirect them,” Barreira said of the visitor who asked if the new courthouse was the Marriott Kaua‘i Resort & Beach Club.
Every person, including employees, who enters the new courthouse facility, which will be given its official name today, will go through security to gain access.
The building is nearly 113,000 square feet, with three distinct wings: court, center and administrative. The court wing is three stories tall, with six courtrooms, judges chambers, meeting rooms, even a press room with telephone and computer hookups.
The center wing is the open area for the public, while the administrative wing is for various staff offices, including Barreira’s. Gone, soon, will be the days when inmates from Kauai Community Correctional Center will come into the court-house through public doors.
Security and technology are the buzzwords of the new building, which cost $35 million to build and $7 million to furnish. “The centerpiece of this building is security,” he said.
There are redundant security systems, an emergency generator and an uninterruptable power source in the event of power failures, and more features, he explained.
Two control rooms will be used by sheriffs to continuously monitor goings on inside and outside the sprawling facility. There are 2.2 acres of landscaped grounds, most with native plants and trees. Assistant Facilities Support Manager Dean Kuboyama has eight workers under him, to maintain the facility inside and out.
Public capacity in the court-rooms ranges from 52 to 94 people, compared to 40 at best in the current courthouse.
Holding cells in the basement of the facility can hold up to 54 people, compared to six to 10 people who can be accommodated in the nearby Kaua‘i Police Department holding cells.
“This building has been designed for future growth,” with a 50-year life expectancy, he said. It was also designed to be secure, and not necessarily convenient, he added.
There is a $1 million annual operating budget, not including wages. But Barreira said state officials will see a savings of $250,000 a year on what they’re paying to rent various facilities around Lihu‘e for various Judiciary employees who will relocate to the new courthouse complex later this month.
There are 160 public parking spaces, all with free parking. And lots of room for storage of files and other documents. “It’s like building a house. You gotta create enough storage areas.”
It was also designed to be “user-friendly,” with an expansive law library, a customer-service center, and a self-help center, he said, once you clear the security checkpoint.
A video-conference center means Judiciary employees will no longer have to use the one in the basement of the State Building.
