With the courthouse elevator project beginning late next month, Carbon County officials are renting space to move some court operations out of the courthouse for approximately two months.

On Thursday, the board of commissioners approved two actions regarding leasing space inside the former Jim Thorpe Administration Building at 410 Center Ave. The building is currently in the process of being sold to Sargent Enterprises Inc. of Jim Thorpe.

The first action was an addendum to the lease agreement with Jim Thorpe Area School District that expands rental space in the building from Feb. 21 through May 13 or until the property is sold. The rental amount is $4,000 per month for the areas marked gym, room 100 and guidance; as well as adds rooms 102 and 103, the faculty room and room 200 at the rate of $2,276.75 per month.

If the sale of the building has not been finalized by May 13, then Jim Thorpe will continue to rent on a month-to-month basis for rooms 100 and guidance at a cost of $701.06 per month.

The second action approves a lease agreement with Sargent Enterprises for the rental of the first floor of the building through May 13 or upon ownership, whichever comes sooner. The rental is $10,484.74 per month, prorated from the date of ownership.

The agreement also allows the county to continue leasing second floor space on a month-to-month basis at a rate of $701.06 per month, with the opportunity for additional rooms if agreed upon.

Carbon County will pay $1,000 to offset the costs to protect the gymnasium floor and will be responsible for cleaning.

The commissioners said that this will allow for court offices to be moved while the elevator project is underway. That project is expected to take six weeks and will start around March 21.

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said they are still looking at possibly renting Jim Thorpe Memorial Hall to hold jury selection in April.

Commissioner Chris Lukasevich noted that the two actions, as well as one with the borough that is anticipated possibly next week, will meet the temporary needs of the county and is “a good pilot test for what we’re going to confront potentially next January when those renovations start for the courthouse.”

Carbon County has been renting space from the school district in the building since the 44/76 Susquehanna St. renovation projects in late 2020 and still have the office of planning and development at the location.

Nothstein said previous actions, which looked at another possible location for the relocation of Judge Joseph Matika’s courtroom during the project wouldn’t work.