Courthouse 3rd Floor Opens

COURT HOUSE – At a May 3 ribbon cutting for the newly-renovated third floor of the Cape May County Superior Courthouse, officials told of a seven-year effort to alleviate space constraints that hampered the judiciary.
“Assignment Judge Julio Mendez and I met about seven years ago concerning the need for more space,” Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton said. “I knew then that we would finally make use of the wasted space on the third floor,” he added.
Make use of it they did. The third floor contains expanded space for the Surrogate’s Office, a courtroom, lodgings for the Criminal Division administration, and a centralized area for Sheriff’s Office personnel.
Both Sheriff Robert Nolan and Surrogate Dean Marcolongo spoke of the added efficiencies their offices gained in the renovations.
The moves also benefited other court-related operations as space elsewhere in the complex was freed for other use. The former location of the Surrogate’s Office was repurposed to allow the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office staff to be housed in one location at the courthouse.
The renovations also freed up conference room space for use by attorneys meeting with clients. Daniel Kurkowski, president, Cape May County Bar Association, thanked Mendez and Thornton for keeping the Bar Association’s needs in mind as the renovations were planned.
While work was completed on the third floor, another courtroom was established in the area used for prospective jurors. The large jury assembly room will see duty as a courtroom three days a week while remaining jury space the other two days.
Thornton said the cost of the renovations came in well under what had been estimated. “The estimate for the work was about $6 million and it came in at around $4.8 million,” he said. “That does not always happen in government renovations,” he added.
The ribbon cutting also contained a separate ceremony as a conference space for the Surrogate’s Office was dedicated to W. Robert Hentges, who served as surrogate from 1972 to 2012. That service made him the longest-serving surrogate in state history. Hentges and his family were present for the unveiling of the dedication plaque by Thornton.
Plans also call for more changes at the courthouse. In the near future, the court building will move to a single point of entry in the back of the building off the large parking lot. This will allow for one point of security check-in to the complex. Officials said the new move is imminent.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.