Welcome Grassley town hall fans. Here are 10 things you need to know about our courthouse

By Chris Baldus, cbaldus@charlescitypress.com

Today is the date of Sen. Charles Grassley’s town hall meeting in the Floyd County Courthouse.

I’m sure there is no coincidence that a blizzard has been forecasted to begin soon after.

If you are reading this column before the 10 a.m. start, I hope to prepare you for your visit to the courthouse, whether you live in our grand little town or are just visiting.

If you are reading this after the 11 a.m. conclusion, consider these next time whether you are scheduling an event or going to one at the courthouse.

1. Dress down. Leave your jackets, hats, scarve, blankets, long underwear anything to keep yourself warm either in your car, at home or neatly thrown in a pile outside the courthouse entry door.

I recommend T-shirts and shorts.

Chances are good for amazonian temperatures producting lots of sweat and high humidity in the third floor courtroom. In these parts, we really can’t afford or just don’t want to pay for a quality air-conditioning system and useful windows in our courthouse.

Granted, the courtroom has air-conditioning, but when it is on, you really need to shout to be heard even if you are the only one there. (OK, I exaggerate.)

Court employees do have to turn off the air-conditioning during trial sessions so the jury can hear everything.

2. Visit a restroom before entering the courthouse.

Men and women have access to public bathrooms on the first four floors. This is a new-fangled sexual equality concept for us here.

The problem is, however, there is only one unisex bathroom on the third floor where the courtroom is. Think ahead.

3. Plan to park somewhere else.

There is a parking lot between the courthouse and the Cedar River on the north side, but it fills quickly on jury selection days —and we’re kind of expecting quite a few more people for this.

Check out the parking lots across the river. It will work out better for you in the long run anyway, because you’ll be within walking distance of places to get some lunch or snacks. Yelling at your senator can really build up an appetite.

4. Floyd County has been beefing up security long before you came along.

Years ago, in the name of security, the Floyd County supervisors closed all but one entrance to the public the small one on the north side facing the river.

Last year, they upgraded their security camera system, so realized you are being watched and recorded everywhere, well maybe not everywhere, but a lot of wheres.

Our deputies wear cameras as well.

Also last year, the supervisors also approved posting notices for a ban on weapons in the courthouse that was actually enacted in 2001. Yeah, we were a little slow about that. Anyway, don’t bring anything pointy or that explodes.

5. Be nice to the deputies, they’re good folk, not political agents.

Keep these things in mind, just in case you get the urge to be grumpy to a cop at this: one of Floyd County’s deputies makes a fantastic chili, another has an impressive deer antler collection, all of them grow beards in the latter part of the year to raise money for charity, Sheriff Jeff Crooks’ kids show pigs at the county fair, and the newest is a hometown guy who graduated in 2013 and a lot of us remember cheering for him as a wrestler and state medal-winning high school track athlete and more. They are people just trying to keep everyone safe.

The sheriff said his department is prepared to protect the safety of everybody visiting the courthouse, which makes Thursday pretty much like any other day for law enforcement.

Other counties have filled him in about what’s occured at other sites, which doesn’t mean his department intends to stop any political pursuasion from attending. It’s a public building and a public event.

6. In the event of a nuclear war, the courthouse is a fallout shelter.

You’ll see signs throughout telling you capacities. The capacity for the hallway on the third floor outside the courtroom in 110.

7. The courthouse has been experiencing some sewer problems.

They’re seeking bids to repair a broken sewer line. So if you smell something, it might not be that guy next to you.

8. No animals (except guide dogs) or vehicles are allowed on the courthouse grounds.

9. Don’t damage the grass. We look unkindly on that.

10. There are slow ways, claustrophobic ways and pretty ways to ascend to the third floor.

The weight capacity on the elevator is 2,000 pounds. It’s powered by two gerbils with foot problems.

If you take the stairs, it’s less claustrophobic to walk up the thin stairway from the ground floor and exit onto the first floor. From there, we have really nice wide stairways in the middle of the building. They have brass handrails and everything.

Contact Editor Chris Baldus at cbaldus@charlescitypress.com.