Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Group Wants New Courthouse in Forsyth County

Pic: The North Carolina Court System (nccourts.org)
County court officials delivered a letter to commissioners this week. It says the Forsyth County Justice Center “has been obsolete for approximately 30 years and cannot meet modern needs to accommodate the growth of the Forsyth County population with mere modifications and renovations.” They want the county to build a new one.

A group of Forsyth County court officials is asking the board of commissioners to build a new courthouse. They say the current building can't accommodate the needs of the county's growing population.

Court officials, including Forsyth County's top prosecutor Jim O' Neill, say the county's Hall of Justice is long overdue for replacement or expansion.  According to the Winston-Salem Journal, they want to see more technology and courtrooms.

The group sent a letter to the board of commissioners this week asking for a new building.

Commissioners say they've been looking at improving the courthouse for several years. A 2009 study recommends renovating the building with an estimated price tag of at least $82 million. But court officials say that would be a big inconvenience and it wouldn't be enough to modernize it.

According to the report, Forsyth County Manager Dudley Watts says that the project is part of the county's capital improvement plan, but he says more research and discussion is needed on the issue.

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate