Palmer Courthouse reopening courtrooms after closure due to facility damage

PALMER — The Palmer Courthouse is about to reopen the facility for jury trials for criminal cases, starting with courtroom 7, the biggest court in the facility.

This will be the first time jury trials have been held in person at the Palmer Courthouse since the onset of the pandemic. The reopening process was delayed in spite of new mandates allowing in-person proceedings due to the extensive water damage to the facility caused by the extreme weather conditions in January.

Alaska Court System facilities director Anna Harrison said there are 40 court locations in the state and the Palmer facility is currently her top priority. She said it’s the second busiest court in the state with its overall caseload and flow of visitors, adding to the urgency of getting the facility back to full operation as soon as possible.

"We want to get back open to the public, and we’re definitely trying to avoid it happening again because it was a big mess. It’s definitely been a process," Harrison said.

According to Harrison, water damage started when the Sprinkler system broke. After that, a Waterline in one of the judge’s Chambers burst, flooding a large portion of the facility with about 75,000 gallons of water overnight.

“I’ve never quite seen anything quite like this before,” It was everywhere. It was just obscene amounts of water,” Harrison said. “It’s been a little bit rough on the judges and the staff.”

Harrison said the carpet shipments recently arrived and they’re hoping to start construction in the next week and resume jury trials by April 7. She said they’re going to replace the flooring of the entire facility, even areas that weren’t affected to keep a consistent and professional look. She said they hired local contractors and they’re confident that they made the right choice.

“We have some really great contractors,” Harrison said.

According to Harrison, courtrooms 1 through 5 were hit the hardest. She said they’re working out solutions for preventative measures such as a sensor that would detect flooding and investigating the infrastructure to ensure the entire facility stays warm throughout the winter.

Harrison said that courtrooms 6 and 8 are slated to resume operations for jury trials in May, and they’re anticipating having all courtrooms open by July.

“We haven’t had anything new come up so we’re feeling pretty good about it. I think we’re on the right track,” Harrison said.

The Palmer Courthouse clerks office is currently open to the public. Follow the Alaska Court System on social media for facility status updates.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com