Suit filed to close Dedham courthouse, Boston Globe, April 11, 2002, page B-2

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Suit filed to close Dedham courthouse Buildings called overcrowded and dangerousBy Estes, Globe Staff, 4/11/2002 Calling the 100-year-old Dedham courthouse a ''deathtrap,'' employees of the Norfolk Probate and Family Court tomorrow will ask a judge to order the building closed, saying it poses a serious health threat to workers and visitors. In a lawsuit to be filed on behalf of workers by attorney A. Milne, employees allege the air is unsafe, the building overcrowded, and the fire exits dangerously out of code. The three-story edifice hasn't passed a building inspection since 1978, the suit says. ''The building is fairly described as a deathtrap,'' wrote Milne, who will ask a judge to move employees immediately to a safer place. They have identified a possible site, the former Fleet Bank building in Westwood on Route 1. ''If this were a private building, no one would be in it,'' said Probate and Family Court Judge Langlois. ''My wife was a nurse for many years. She'd like me to wear a mask.'' Attached to the suit are reports from health, security, and fire specialists, as well as affidavits from more than 30 employees, lawyers and former judges. All describe the building as unhealthy and unsafe. Employees have been complaining for years, Milne noted, but nothing has been done. State and county officials have commissioned study after study, all of which confirmed what employees say they already knew - the building is sick. Officials of Norfolk County, which owns the building, said the state Division of Capital Asset Management plans to renovate the building and move some of the workers to temporary structures in the parking lot while repairs are made. ''We're committed to addressing the issue and keeping the courthouse in Dedham Square,'' said Bill O'Donnell, County Commission chairman. But the workers say that plan is inadequate. The building could be renovated, they say, but only after they're gone. County officials have been aware of air quality problems since the 1970s, the suit says. The building has six ventilation systems, but none of them work. Employees must open the windows - even in the winter - or the temperature climbs to 90 degrees. The building is filthy, employees say. The basement floor is covered with asbestos tiles. Bugs crawl out from under typewriters, one worker's affidavit said. Some workers say they clean their offices on weekends or they don't get cleaned at all. The building is so overcrowded that child custody, visitation, abuse, and probate cases are settled in corridors, stairways, and outdoors, employees say. Judges and defendants share the same cramped hallways. ''The building has outlasted its usefulness as a court,'' said Register of Probate Schmidt. ''It's too small. It's unhealthy. It's not safe, and the people who have to use it are not able to have their matters resolved in a dignified and private manner. They're being herded around like cattle. It's insulting and demeaning for people to have important matters resolved by the court in hallways and stairways and in the basement.'' O'Donnell said the County Commission will do what it can to ensure the courthouse remains in Dedham Square. Several court-related agencies, including the Norfolk district attorney's office and the law library, have already left. ''We've pursued legislation and funding to have a project go forward,'' he said. ''I feel it's important to keep the courthouses in Dedham Square. They assist the economy of Dedham.'' More than $1 million has been set aside to address air quality concerns, he said, and another $3.6 million is earmarked for the construction of the temporary modular buildings in the parking lot. But DCAM spokesman Flanigan acknowledged that support for the current plan ''has eroded somewhat'' and said the agency is now considering moving employees into temporary rental space so more extensive renovations can be made. ''The issue will be budget,'' he said. ''The lease cost would have to come out of the trial court's operating budget. The Legislature would have to support the added cost.'' Trial Court spokesman Bruce Bock declined comment, citing pending litigation. Among the documents filed with the suit is a survey conducted March 15 by public health specialist Oliver of Harvard Medical School. In the survey, a majority of the 75 employees who answered the questionnaire reported health problems: asthma - 20 percent; bronchitis - 39 percent; pneumonia - 27 percent; hay fever - 29 percent; and allergies - 33.3 percent. ''These prevalence figures are high in comparison to prevalence in the general population,'' Oliver wrote. Most said their symptoms improve on the weekends. This story ran on page B2 of the Boston Globe on 4/11/2002.

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