New Sussex County Family Court unveiled
Walking through the new Sussex County Family Court building, Chief Judge Michael Newell sees more than sparkling floors, pristine courtrooms and crystal-clear windows.
The recently completed 107,800-square-foot courthouse in Georgetown represents safety, compassion and comfort for the families and the staff who go there to resolve issues, he said.
“I’m very proud of the results,” he said after a Nov. 12 tour to show off the recently completed project for the news media in advance of a Nov. 13 formal ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The $142 million construction project, begun in June 2022, resolves the deficiencies of the 31,000-square-foot building nearby at 22 The Circle in Georgetown that it will replace, which will benefit families and court staff.
“It’s not going to take away the emotions they have that underpin the cases,” Newell said. “But if this building can go a long way in terms of helping them be a little calmer and feel a little safer and feel that their surroundings are a little more dignified, then we’ve accomplished our goal.”
The new courthouse at the northeast corner of East Market and Race streets completes a process that began decades ago when studies found a need to replace the existing courthouse.
The old family court, built in the late 1980s and renovated in the late 1990s, was unsafe by modern court standards, and caused issues for litigants and court staff.
Among other issues, the waiting areas and courtrooms did not allow for adequate and appropriate distance between litigants, and court staff had to share elevators and hallways with detainees, rather than each having their own secure areas. These problems were corrected in the new building.
The old court building will undergo interior renovations to house state agencies, including the Justice of the Peace Court, the Office of Defense Services, the Office of State Court Collections Enforcement, the Judicial Information Center, and offices connected with Legislative Hall.
Plans for a new courthouse began in earnest when Newell became chief judge in 2015. He had already served as a family court judge for 10 years after working as a family law practicing attorney for about 25 years. Newell said his experience gave him a good understanding of the court facility needs from different perspectives.
Meetings were held with stakeholders to help draft the design, he said.
“The space gives us room to do things we couldn't do in the other building, or at least not as well,” said Sean O’Sullivan, chief of community relations for the state court system.
Newell said the courts want to be a community presence.
“Justice Bryer from the United States Supreme Court said a courthouse should not be a symbol of bureaucracy,” Newell said. “Judges are not bureaucrats; judges are people who are here to help you. We hope this building will help convey that image.”
Kevin Conlon came to the Cape Gazette with nearly 40 years of newspaper experience since graduating from St. Bonaventure University in New York with a bachelor's degree in mass communication. He reports on Sussex County government and other assignments as needed.
His career spans working as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers in upstate New York, including The Daily Gazette in Schenectady. He comes to the Cape Gazette from the Cortland Standard, where he was an editor for more than 25 years, and in recent years also contributed as a columnist and opinion page writer. He and his staff won regional and state writing awards.
Conlon was relocating to Lewes when he came across an advertisement for a reporter job at the Cape Gazette, and the decision to pursue it paid off. His new position gives him an opportunity to stay in a career that he loves, covering local news for an independently owned newspaper.
Conlon is the father of seven children and grandfather to two young boys. In his spare time, he trains for and competes in triathlons and other races. Now settling into the Cape Region, he is searching out hilly trails and roads with wide shoulders. He is a fan of St. Bonaventure sports, especially rugby and basketball, as well as following the Mets, Steelers and Celtics.
