Family Court gets facelift

Visitors to the Cherokee County Courthouse will see a completely new look to the Family Court offices. Relatively untouched in the history of the nearly 80-year-old building, Clerk of Courts Brandy McBee received federal approval and funding to make major security upgrades. New paint, new floor coverings and window treatments complete the look. Visitors to the Cherokee County Courthouse will see much more than a fresh coat of paint and new flooring inside the Family Court offices.

They'll also see a lot more security.

As part of an effort to increase security, not only of workers and Family Court participants but also of the sensitive documents, Cherokee County Clerk of Courts Brandy McBee recently received approval to use federal funding to update Family Court offices that had remained relatively unchanged since the historic building was constructed in 1929.

The Family Court handles all matters of family and domestic issues, from child support and alimony to custody, paternity and juvenile criminal cases.

Workers, their desks, and the office's sensitive case files are now situated behind security windows.

The security upgrades did come with some major aesthetic improvements, however.

New coats of chocolate- and cream-colored paints adorn the walls and a new suspended ceiling hold new light fixtures that brighten the office tremendously.

New carpeting was installed in the office space while new tiles reside beneath the feet of workers in a records storage room.

"Everyone asked me who the interior designer was," McBee said. "I said you're looking at her."

An extra cost-saving measure, McBee even handsketched the floor plans when she submitted the design proposal to the Department of Social Services for consideration. Because the upgrades directly benefited Family Court operations, the expenses were covered by federal funds as approved by the Administration for Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services.

McDaniel Construction was awarded the contract for the work by Cherokee County Council after bids were submitted and opened. The construction and renovation work cost $33,215 while another firm, American Blinds, was paid $528 for new window treatments, according to county records.

In upgrading the Family Court offices, McBee said a primary consideration was making sure that office space wasn't lost.

"We can't afford to lose office space," she said.

Almost every office within the Cherokee County Courthouse has to store records off-site since many of them have outgrown the nearly 80- year-old building.