NORMALLY THE PROSPECT of moving into a brand-new courthouse is a cause for celebration. To be sure, in the best of times, such a move does require lots of extra work to smoothly make the transition without disrupting the administration of justice.

But for Superior Court Clerk Samuel Farrington, the impending move is one more responsibility added to a towering stack of tasks confronting a woefully understaffed office. Although the accompanying chart shows that the Carroll County Superior Court has two of six positions vacant, the actual situation is worse than that. The chart does not account for absences due to extended sick leaves or disability. In Carroll County, an extended medical leave leaves the Carroll County Superior Court with only three support staffers doing the work of six people. Court orders and other paperwork are delayed, other projects or innovations are on hold, and the Clerk's office only accepts phone calls or visitors from 8:30 to 12:30 p.m. each day.

Meanwhile, Farrington must also work on arranging for a move into the new courthouse. The Carroll County Courthouse, located across the street from the current county office complex, on Route 171, is slated for opening in mid-November, according to Administrative Office of the Courts Director Don Goodnow, and it will house the Superior Court, the District Court of Southern Carroll County and the Probate Court. Farrington said the move-in date for the superior court may change slightly depending on the progress of two major criminal trials scheduled for late October and early November. "We won't move in the middle of a long jury trial," he said.

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