Courthouse to lose one entrance Friday

That's the reason, starting Friday, why the lower level east door into the Plymouth County Courthouse will no longer be an entrance.

The Plymouth County Supervisors approved the change earlier this month as part of a courthouse security plan recommended by Plymouth County Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo.

"The east doors are a very quick entrance and quick exit," Van Otterloo said. "This will provide a little more security."

People will still be able to exit the building through the east door.

Van Otterloo said there have been no incidents at the courthouse, but this change is a step toward ensuring that remains the case in the future.

"I see this as the first phase of bringing the courthouse to one entrance monitored by a camera," Van Otterloo said.

Making the doors, except for the north entrance on the lower level, into "exit only" doors has been discussed by the supervisors, but no decision has been made on that matter.

Supervisor Craig Anderson said there have been questions and concerns about courthouse security since his time serving on the zoning board 10 years ago.

People need to be aware of how bad things can get by looking at security breaches all over whether it be at schools or government buildings, Anderson said.

"Every door we close will continue to be an exit," he said. "We're not worried about people getting out. We're worried about people coming in."

Plymouth County Auditor Stacey Feldman said there will be a sign on the east doors indicating they are not an entrance.

The east entrance, which is directly below the auditor's office, is most likely used the least by the public because there aren't many offices in that immediate area, she said.

"It's not about inconveniencing the public and employees," Feldman said. "The goal is to implement safety of the courthouse."