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# Monroe County clerk services move for condensation repairs
- URL: https://bsquarebulletin.com/monroe-county-clerk-services-move-for-condensation-repairs/
- Published: 2026-08-18T13:55:23.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-18T13:55:23.000Z
- Description: The Monroe County clerk’s office will perform its public-facing functions in other locations for two weeks as crews address condensation from uninsulated ductwork. Payments will be handled on the child-support side, while in-person court filings are expected to move to the a judges conference room.
- Author: Dave Askins
- Tags: Local Government, #no-inline-feature

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-18-light-swtichesPXL_20260818_112140504.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/2026-08-18-dehumidifier-PXL_20260818_112144442.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/20/6f/206f9007-c0a7-47d4-b87b-686c21961f22/content/images/2026/08/cropped-temp-lights2026-08-18--PXL_20260818_112212691.jpg)

****Top left:** Light switched locked to prevent turning them on. ****Top right:** One of four dehumidifiers that are deployed in the Monroe County clerk's office. ****Bottom:**Temporation lights are strung across the ceilings. (Dave Askins, Aug. 18, 2026)

The Monroe County clerk’s staff are looking to maintain their functions in support of the courts and in service of the public in the next two weeks. That’s even though the physical office inside the justice building will be closed to the public. 

Staff will in part work from other areas of the building while remediation activity continues on ductwork blamed for [Monday’s (Aug. 17) water problems](https://bsquarebulletin.com/initial-report-monroe-county-clerks-office-closed-due-to-condensation-into-light-fixtures/).

Condensation from uninsulated ductwork poured into fluorescent light fixtures, leading the office to shut down for the rest of the day.

For people who need to make payments, clerk Nicole Browne told The B Square Tuesday morning (Aug. 18) that they should go to the child support side of the clerk’s office.

That part of the office was not affected by the condensation problem, because the ductwork above it is already insulated. That’s according to an [email sent Monday afternoon](https://bloomdocs.org/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/2026-08-17-email-gardner-browne-clerk-condensation-justice-building.pdf) by David Gardner with ASI Facilities Services, which is county government’s outside contractor for building maintenance.

For people who need to file a court case or other documents in person, the county’s plan is to use the board of judges conference room. Gardner wrote Monday that laptops were being set up there so clerk’s office employees could provide public services from that location.

Browne said Tuesday morning that the precise procedure for in-person court filings was still being worked out. She had been told laptops were available, but had not yet seen the setup. Browne indicated that one possibility was to station an employee in the board of judges conference room to handle those transactions.

On Tuesday morning, temporary lights were strung across the ceiling of the clerk’s public office space, and the switches that turn on the permanent fluorescent lights were locked to prevent them from being turned on. A dehumidifier with a hose feeding into a large plastic trash can was deployed just inside the door to the clerk’s office. Browne told The B Square more dehumidifiers were placed in other parts of the office.

The improvised arrangement follows [Monday’s closure of the clerk’s office](https://bsquarebulletin.com/initial-report-monroe-county-clerks-office-closed-due-to-condensation-into-light-fixtures/) after condensation from uninsulated ductwork dripped through the ceiling and into light fixtures. Employees inside the building reported hearing popping sounds from the fixtures. The rest of the justice center remained open. 

Gardner wrote to Browne late Monday afternoon that condensation had been found in much of the ductwork over the main clerk’s office. Cold air moving through uninsulated ducts, surrounded by warmer and more humid air above the ceiling, was producing the condensation, he wrote. He said the problem might continue until the remaining ducts are insulated or temperature and humidity conditions change.

Gardner told Browne that staff could return to work Tuesday. Employees who do not interact with the public could work in their normal areas while public interactions would be shifted out of the affected area, Gardner wrote. He added, “Until the ductwork insulation is completed and the condensation is resolved, we believe using the BOJ \[board of judges\] conference room for public interactions is the safest and most appropriate option.”

The idea that employees would be asked to work in an area that is not suitable for service to the public is one that Browne said she expects will be difficult for her staff to accept. “I don’t know how I’m going to talk them through that this morning, but I’m going to try,” Browne said.

Browne said Gardner had estimated the arrangement would last about two weeks. She said she would try to persuade employees to make the temporary setup work for that length of time. Browne indicated that if conditions get worse, she would re-evaluate the situation.

Browne said the clerk’s office has to balance those concerns against its crucial role in keeping the court system functioning.

According to Gardner’s email message, work completed Monday included removal of ceiling tiles with visible staining and installation of four dehumidifiers.

It’s the county commissioners who have a statutory responsibility for upkeep of the building. Gardner’s email described the county commissioners “as committed to getting the remaining ductwork insulated as quickly as possible.” He wrote that overtime and weekend pay had been offered to expedite the work.

Also completed on Monday was an inspection of the lighting by an electrician, according to Gardner’s email message. Fixtures that might have been exposed to water were shut off, and lockout devices were placed on switches so they could not be turned back on until the problem is addressed and the fixtures are determined to be safe.

Temporary lights, the lock-out switches and a dehumidifier were all visible in the clerk’s office Tuesday morning.

Monday’s condensation problem came less than a month after the justice center was closed for four working days following a [July 24 sewage backup](https://bsquarebulletin.com/monroe-county-justice-building-closed-monday-july-27-due-to-plumbing-issue/), and about two weeks after a drain cleaner used in the jail produced a [strong rotten-egg odor](https://bsquarebulletin.com/use-of-drain-cleaner-fills-monroe-county-justice-building-with-rotten-egg-odor-workers-report-vomiting-nausea/) throughout the building. IOSHA inspectors [visited the justice center on Aug. 11](https://bsquarebulletin.com/monroe-county-councilor-warns-commissioners-after-iosha-visits-justice-building-over-sewage-complaints/) after employee complaints about conditions there.