OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — With just one public elevator still working inside the Oklahoma County Courthouse following water damage, county officials say the building, and quite a few important county offices, are hanging on by a thread from being temporarily shut down.The Americans with Disabilities Act requires at least one functioning elevator in a multi-story public building like the courthouse. If the last elevator breaks down, officials say it could grind county government to a halt.About four weeks ago, a county official said a contractor renovating a courtroom on the eighth floor accidentally triggered a sprinkler head.“It went for a considerable amount of time before they were able to find the valve that shut that particular sprinkler head off,” said Oklahoma County District 2 Commissioner Brian Maughan.Water soaked several floors and leaked into the elevator shafts.“About 45 minutes’ worth of water dumped inside the elevator shafts, which short-circuited everything out,” Maughan said.Since then, all but one public elevator have been out of commission.
One additional elevator is still functioning—but only for transporting jail inmates to and from court.“The wait time on an elevator can be as long as 20 minutes,” Maughan said.He said the disruption has made for chaotic days as judges, lawyers, plaintiffs, and defendants all try to make it to court on time.“A lot of people are confused,” Maughan said. “They’re getting on the elevator going the wrong way because there’s only one elevator that’s responding to both the up and the down button. But we also have a lot of times when the inmate traffic is considerable, and sometimes they need to commandeer [a public elevator] in order to be sure the inmates are getting back and forth. And they’re not allowed to put regular civilians with the inmates.”Even Maughan, whose office is on an upper floor, has had to adapt.“Well, I’m able to climb the stairs. It’s not my finest thing to do, but I can do it if I have to,” he said.
If the last elevator also breaks down, Maughan said it would grind courthouse business to a halt…