A makeover is coming to Justice Court Asbestos abatement and bench renovation top to-do list

Renovations will include moving the judge’s bench, currently on the left, against the right wall and replacing part of the double door with a protective “transaction door” for Court Clerk Beverley Pelletier.

Justice Court is slated to undergo a number of renovations, some mandated by the insurance company that covers town buildings and others required by the New York State Court Administration (NYSCA). 


The most significant of those changes will be a reorientation of the judge’s bench, a product of two state requirements: the necessity to ensure the judge’s safety and promote her visual perception.


First, the judge’s bench must be moved from its present location because the judge currently sits directly in front of a window. This is a violation of NYSCA standards, since the judge could potentially be subject to violence from someone outside. Second, the judge’s bench needs to be moved so that her honor can get a full view of the court room. The facial expressions of defendants, prosecutors and the jury are key indicators that the judge needs to observe while presiding. The bench will move to the east wall to the left of the double doors and face the front entryway. The witness stand will move to roughly where the large Shelter Island map currently hangs and the jury box will shift to the south wall, facing the north. The carpentry work will be paid for by a grant from the NYSCA.


Last, testing of the floor tiles revealed that they contain 6.7 percent asbestos. New York State Municipal State Insurance Reciprocal, the insurance company that covers Shelter Island town buildings, says there can’t be any. The removal and replacement of these tiles will be paid from the Commissioner of Public Works’ Building and Grounds Account. Although the tile replacement will require that the court remain vacant, once the reinstallation of the tile is finished the court clerk, Beverley Pelletier, will return to work while the rest of the renovations are being finished up. According to Ms. Pelletier, there is a possibility that the November 30 court session will have to be rescheduled so renovations can be completed, although that decision has not yet been made.


There are renovations aimed at improving security for Ms. Pelletier, too. The installation of a Dutch door equipped with a Lexan barrier will ensure that she can receive papers from people paying tickets or presenting court papers without being exposed to the public. The barrier will be similar to those often seen in banks, with an opening to pass papers and a circle of small holes in the Lexan through which people can speak known as a “security talk-through.” As Mark Ketcham, Commissioner of Public Works, put it, “even though we’re little old Shelter Island, … there have been confrontations.”


The carpentry work went out to bid on October 1, so the cost has not yet been determined. The actual work will begin late November and continue through early December, and is expected to take about three weeks. 


Mr. Ketcham mentioned he would have preferred to begin the renovations earlier in the fall, but because Town Hall will continue to be occupied with budget meetings from September through October, any Justice Hall activities would have no alternative venue if the room were undergoing construction. But he’s confident the work will get done as expected with the current schedule.