One area resident’s visit to the Lauderdale County Courthouse this week was a lot like deja vu all over again.

The citizen, who was called to serve on a grand jury, witnessed the same deplorable conditions they encountered when they served more than a decade ago.

“One of the grand jurors was on the grand jury twelve years ago and not a thing was changed,” reads a grand jury report issued Friday, which recommended the county make repairs to the building, which was built in 1905.

“The jurors were horrified by the smell and odors in the courthouse,” the report continues. “One of the jurors had trouble with her allergies due to the mold and dust…a light is about to fall in the big courtroom. The courtrooms are in horrible shape. The restrooms are in horrible shape. The plumbing is horrible…the building is unrespectable….there needs to be a plan for upgrades to meet needs of the courthouse workers.”

Jurors also reported seeing some broken windows at the jail and recommended upgrades to its heating and air systems. Sheriff’s department investigators also need more space to work, the report says.

Friday wasn’t the first time a grand jury has criticized the courthouse’s condition. In August 2013, jurors said the building was in such bad shape that it should be bulldozed. The next month, jurors called conditions in parts of the courthouse “deplorable.”

“We are concerned the air quality in the courthouse is not safe for workers,” the September 2013 report stated.

The complaints come as county supervisors continue to seek a suitable solution to the cramped and aging courthouse. Belinda Stewart, of Belinda Stewart Architects, from Eupora, delivered a 66-page study to the board in December, recommending five potential solutions:

• Adding on to the courthouse and renovating the Courthouse Annex at a price of $37.95 million;

• Not adding on to the existing courthouse but renovating the annex and removing the jail at a price of $37.27 million;

• Renovating the courthouse and adding on and selling the annex at a price of $30.9 million. The jail is not included in the plan;

• Moving all county business to the old Village Fair Mall site at a projected price of $43.65 million;

• Moving all county business to the Village Fair Mall and selling lots around the site for private development at a projected price of $46.75 million.

Indictments

In addition to noting conditions at the courthouse, the report says the grand jury, which met for five days, returned 252 true bills of indictment and 37 no true bills of indictment.