Stacey Kelley, the Wright County Clerk’s office scanner, said it was “incredibly hot. Yesterday was the worst.”
Hartville Prison is currently empty as inmates have been moved to other counties because the prison does not have air conditioning.
There’s also no air conditioning in the courthouse, but it remains open for business, with staff making the most of the situation.
“Every office has at least 2-3 fans,” said Kelley. Kimma Harris, division manager, added, “We opened the new courtroom down there. That’s a different part of the courthouse, it’s new so the air works there so it comes down the hall, which kind of helped. And we turned off the lights and turned on the fans. As long as we have these fans, it’s not bad at all. “
Today, Chief Justice Craig Carter issued a memo stating that state law enforcement officials will change their working hours. Now work from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. according to OSHA guidelines for heat protection.
“Of course our employees who have to be here in court have to stay,” said Harris. “So we’ll let everything work out.”
To cope with the heat, officials moved all of the courtroom business to the building’s smaller courtroom for more airflow.
There is still no word on when the air conditioning will be fixed. However, a portable, temporary unit is expected to arrive within a few days.
Sheriff Glenn Adler says the reason the repairs take a while is because they need to get quotes for the work that needs to be done to replace the broken air conditioner.
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