OUR TAKE: Preserving the courthouse is great idea‭, ‬but walking away is an even better one

With its portico supported by bare, temporary beams and entrance surrounded by wadded and wilted construction barriers, not to mention it could use a fresh coat of paint, the J. Roy Rowland Federal Courthouse in downtown Dublin has become an eyesore. After that tuckered-out trucker drove his rig up the steps last year, it seems the structure has been left to decay in semi-occupancy and little use. 

The courthouse, constructed back in the ’30s once hosted federal circuit court cases. Now only monthly bankruptcy proceedings are heard while a handful of federal agencies occupy office space. Few residents know how to get inside, let alone what agencies are there. Authorities have considered closing the facility in the past, but locals have fought the good fight to keep the services provided in Dublin, though the wreck damage is seemingly the final nail in the coffin.

The Laurens County Board of Commissioners recently expressed interest in purchasing and preserving the historic structure. The building could not only house the existing federal services but also be used as an expansion for the county courthouse. 

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And let’s face it, even in its current state the J. Roy Roland Courthouse looks better than the Laurens County Courthouse. That building looks like a Kleenex box stuffed with used tissues.  

County officials heard that the court could generate $250,000 annually; however it would cost double that to operate and staff the building. On top of that, the county could be on the hook for about $600,000 in repairs and updates. 

After hearing that the board changed their mind at a called meeting.  

Preserving the federal courthouse is a noble idea and we applaud the county for looking into the issue, but we also applaud them from walking away from a money pit.