PORT ANGELES — Clallam County is beefing up security for the lobby in Superior Court.
County commissioners Tuesday opened one bid from Port Angeles-based Aldergrove Construction for the security upgrade.
The $110,517 bid was referred to the Parks, Fair and Facilities Department for a review and recommendation back to the board.
The security improvement was requested last year by Superior Court judges and administrative staff, said Parks, Fair and Facilities Director Joel Winborn.
“There were concerns about the physical access to the employees in the admin area, the court administrator’s offices,” Winborn said in a Sept. 5 board work session.
Winborn said the project involves the armoring of the lobby side of the Superior Court administrative offices between Courtrooms 1 and 2.
“There’s now going to be no more physical contact possibilities there,” Winborn said.
In addition to the armoring, interior office space will be expanded slightly to improve daily operations, Winborn said.
The project is scheduled to be completed by mid-November, Winborn said Tuesday.
The estimated cost of the project was between $86,000 and $94,000.
Commissioner Randy Johnson asked Winborn whether he expected more than one bid.
“We notified lots of contractors in the area,” Winborn said. “Unfortunately, the more we’ve progressed through the year, the more difficult it has been to get even two or three bidders to respond.”
Courthouse security became a hot topic in Clallam County after a shooting at the Grays Harbor County Courthouse in April 2012.
A Grays Harbor County deputy was shot with her own handgun during a scuffle with Steven Kravetz, 34. A Superior Court judge was stabbed when he came to the deputy’s defense.
The deputy and judge survived their injuries. Kravetz was sentenced to 26 years in prison in 2013.
Jefferson County is in the process of implementing security upgrades for the courthouse in Port Townsend.
Visitors to the second and third floors of the Jefferson County Courthouse will go through metal detectors.
Eighteen high-definition security cameras will be added as part of the project.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsula dailynews.com.
