Akron Municipal Courthouse reopens after problem with malfunctioning elevators
Akron Municipal Court announced Monday that its facilities at the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center have reopened after the failure of three elevators closed the building to the public Thursday.
During the time it was closed, court hearings were canceled and had to be rescheduled. Affected parties were contacted by the courtroom and/or attorney to reschedule, the court said.
Elevator issues also closed the court in August 2021. In both instances, the court was closed to the public and hearings were canceled.
A court spokesperson said via email that without the elevators, individuals with mobility or disability issues would have difficulty reaching the court, which is located on the 7th, 8th and 9th floors of the Stubbs building.
The court reopened with limited elevator access, according to the news release. The announcement can be viewed on the court's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/akronmunicipalcourt. A spokesperson for the court said the three public elevators and one used by staff remain inoperable.
The spokesperson said limited access has been made available by the Akron Police Department on an elevator traditionally used for individuals in police custody.
"Without this option, we would have been unable to reopen today," the spokesperson said in an email thanking the department.
During the time it was closed, the court was limited to arraignment court only.
On Sept. 25, Akron Fire Department personnel rescued someone trapped in an elevator in the Stubbs building. The individual was stuck for several hours while technicians worked on a solution to the problem before the fire department's technical rescue team was called in from Station 7. Crews were able to rescue the person in the elevator shortly after, and no injuries were reported.
The courthouse also was closed to the public for a week from July 11-16. The reason wasn't specified in a news release at the time. Hearings and arraignments were held remotely during that week.
Court users with questions are instructed to call or email their assigned courtroom. A directory is located at https://akronmunicipalcourt.org/contact/department-directory/. Court users can also call Akron Municipal Court at (330) 375-2120.
Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron courthouse reopens after problem with malfunctioning elevators
