Turner County leans on neighbors ahead of $20M courthouse rebuild

Deteriorating building already forced temporary closures of several offices

Major changes are on the horizon for government and taxpayers in Turner County.

County commissioners there last week signed off on a $19.8 million plan to overhaul its government operations in Parker after its 122-year-old courthouse last year was deemed structurally unsound. And though a new site for a courthouse hasn’t yet been selected, court proceedings for Turner County will be moved out of the county.

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“All Turner County court matters are being held in McCook County at 130 West Essex Ave. in Salem,” according to a news release issued by the South Dakota Unified Judicial System Monday, also noting that Turner County Clerk of Courts staff will work remotely from neighboring counties or from Salem and a lockbox has been installed outside the Clerk of Courts office in Parker for the public and other agencies to leave ticket payments and other paperwork when the office is closed.

The changes, effective Monday, come after heavy snowfall last winter highlighted structural deficiencies that forced the temporary evacuation of several county offices. An engineering firm brought in as a result found that trusses supporting the building’s east side had sunk 19 inches.

“The floor is uneven, black mold is growing in our basement and evidence room. It would be a big renovation,” County Auditor Misty Dahl told The Dakota Scout. “If we get more than six inches of snow, people working in the basement can’t report for work. We can’t have that much weight on the building.”

Though the sinking trusses pose the most immediate concern, the building — opened in 1902 — also needed a new heating and air system, more outlets, and code-compliant entrances and restrooms.

Voting 4-1 in favor of bonding for a new courthouse, commissioners will now turn their attention to finding a suitable location. The decision could be referred by voters.

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WHAT TURNER COUNTY RESIDENTS SHOULD KNOW:

Turner County Clerk of Courts

• Turner County Clerk of Courts office hours will be held in Turner County at 400 S. Main Ave. in Parker on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CDT.

• A lock box has been installed outside the Clerk of Courts office in Parker for the public and other agencies to leave ticket payments and other paperwork when the office is closed.

• Clerk of Courts staff will work remotely from neighboring counties or from Salem the remaining days and monitoring File and Serve regularly.

• Turner County Clerk of Courts address and phone number (605-297-3115) remains the same. Clerk staff will be notified of all voicemail messages via email and will return calls as soon as possible when they are working remotely.

  

  

• On days the office is closed, individuals with emergency matters like filing a protection order must go to a surrounding county (Clay, Hutchinson or McCook counties.) To find a county address, visit https://ujs.sd.gov/First_Circuit/Default.aspx.

• It is expected that the Clerk of Courts office and staff will move to an alternate location in Parker once space has been arranged for. Additional notification will be sent at that time.

Turner County Court Services

• Turner County Court Services are located in Hutchinson County at 201 West Mentor St.  in Olivet until further notice.

• Court Services office hours in Olivet are Monday, Thursday and every other Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be no office hours in Parker.

• The phone number for Court Services in Olivet is 605-387-4222. Court Services staff will be notified of all voicemail messages on their Parker phone lines via email and will return calls as soon as possible.

• Court Services mailing address remains the same.

• Court Reporter Jeanne Bossman’s office phone number in Parker will remain active, and she will be notified of any voicemail messages via email to return calls.