Avoyelles Police Jury postpones move to buy building

Plans to purchase a Courthouse Square building to house a parish services annex will be put on hold until after an election on a sales tax to fund a proposed courtrooms center is decided, the Avoyelles Police determined at its May 14 meeting.

The jury received three offers to sell buildings near the courthouse to house a proposed “one stop shop” for the parish permit program. The annex would also provide space for the Veterans Affairs Office and possibly include a community meeting room.

Those plans were set aside after reports began circulating last week that the Clerk of Court’s Office would join the courtrooms in moving to the Avoyelles Parish Justice Center if voters approve the 1/2-cent sales tax on Nov. 16.

REPORTS PREMATURE

Those reports may be premature. The blueprint being considered has ample room set aside for the clerk of court, but that space could also become a third courtroom, Mike Kelly, a leader in the Justice Center campaign, said.

There will need to be a clerk of court “substation” with two or three employees to handle documents directly related to the court procedures, such as court minutes, Kelly added.

There is no proposal to move the entire clerk of court’s operations from the courthouse, he said. However, the new clerk elected this fall would make the decision on whether to move, should the 1/2-cent sales tax be approved.

The judges, who will administer the Justice Center District, could not direct the clerk to move even if they wanted to. Kelly said it would probably be two years before the Justice Center would be built and ready to open.

THREE OFFERS

The three buildings offered for sale were Raymond’s Department Store and a former service station site for $142,000; the Bennett Law Office for $150,000 and the former Red River Grill for $200,000.

“There is a move afoot to move more people out of this building. That would give us all the space we need to do what we want to do,” Police Jury President Charles Jones said.

If voters approve the tax to fund the construction and operations of the proposed Justice Center, the courtrooms and judges’ offices on the 3rd Floor would move for sure.

Earlier this month reports surfaced about the space for the clerk’s office in the Justice Center blueprints. The Clerk of Court’s Office occupies most of the 1st floor in the courthouse.

One concern for the Parish Services Building was to have it on one level. That would avoid elevators, which can be costly to install and maintain, and stairs that are hard for the handicapped and elderly to use.

An empty 1st Floor in the courthouse would be tailor-made for what the jury had envisioned.

Also, with no courtrooms posing security risks, the 90-year-old structure could reopen its main entrances and relax security regulations imposed a few years ago.

If the tax is defeated or the new clerk of court chooses not to move the office, the jury will revisit the need to purchase one of the nearby buildings..

Charles Laborde, son of the late Raymond Laborde, said his father dedicated his life to public service as mayor of Marksville, state representative and an administrator in state government.

“He would love to see this building go to a government purpose,” Laborde said.

The jury had decided to pursue purchasing a vacant building near the courthouse to better serve those needing a parish permit.

Currently, customers may have to make several trips to gather necessary documentation from the Clerk of Court’s Office, the 911 Center or other agencies.

The Service Center would be set up to enable the permit clerks to obtain those documents from the various agencies while the permit-seeker is in the office. The Permit Office would collect any fees due and remit those fees to the other agencies.