ELKINS — Randolph County Commissioner David Kesling announced during Tuesday’s Commission meeting that the West Virginia Supreme Court recently visited the James F. Cain Courthouse Annex to inspect the complex.

The Cain Annex has been proposed by the Commission as a site to house Randolph County’s second judge, who will be elected in May and take office at the start of 2025.

“The Supreme Court was here and we toured this facility (Cain Annex) with them,” said Kesling. “With the Prosecuting Attorney moving across the street, it left the second floor here vacant. It was our intention to turn that floor over to the new judge for his or her office and staff. But they (Supreme Court) felt that with the elevator being exposed to the public, and with the judge having to ride it to get down to the courtroom, they would rather not do that.”

Kesling said that after walking the building with representatives from the Supreme Court, a second alternative was found and a decision was made on how to transform the building.

“They would rather us take the back portion of this building for that use,” said Kesling. “They can block off the corridors in the back to make it secure for the judge. What they are looking at doing is getting us a new design from the architect so that we can get it to the contractor and get the work done.”

Kesling said the plan is to make the Commission’s current meeting room the new judge’s courtroom, and the Commision office would be transformed into the judge’s office, law clerk’s office, and circuit clerk office. He added that the proposed plan would eliminate the side and back door to the Cain Annex, with there only being entry to the complex through the front.

“The side door, which is what 90 percent of the public uses to come into this building, will be switched to an exit only,” said Kesling. “Everyone will be required to come through the front of the building and it will be manned by a Court Security Officer. Anyone who comes into the building will be scanned when they come in.

“If you look, other counties have already gone to that and we are looking to do the same at the main courthouse, where the front entrance is the only entrance to the courthouse… These are all recommendations from the Supreme Court to secure the courthouses.”

Kesling said the current Assessor’s Office at the Cain Annex would be converted into a holding area, and that two other empty rooms on the first floor would be made into a jury room and a lawyer room.    

“The people who are going to be moved out of their offices here (Cain Annex) are going to go up to the second floor,” said Kesling. “And there’s also other meeting spaces upstairs we can use if needed.”

Kesling said the County Commission is still planning to move its offices and meeting room to the former Randolph County Jail, which is located behind the main Courthouse.

“We are still moving to the old jail and right now we are waiting on some design proposals on that,” said Kesling. “Our move over there hasn’t changed.”

In the spring of 2023, House Bill 3332 created new judicial circuits for the state and assigned the number of judges each circuit would have. Under the new law, Randolph was one of the counties in the state that was constituted to have a second judge.

During the upcoming May 14 primary election, two judges will be elected in Randolph County. In Division 1, voters can choose either incumbent David Wilmoth or challenger Phil Isner. In Division II, the candidates include Frank P. Bush Jr., Ray Lamora III, William “Ty” Nestor and Jaymie Godwin Wilfong.