(L to R) Ron Gilleo, Legal Defender; Blake Schritter, Director Indigent Services; Jon Gillenwater, County Public Defender; Matt Smith, County Attorney; Lisa Samstag, Legal Services Administrator; Jean Bishop, District 4 Supervisor; Travis Lingenfelter, District 1 Supervisor; Bobbie Shin, Legal Advocate; Sam Elters, County Manager; Don Martin, District 4 Supervisor-Elect; Richard Lettman, District 2 Supervisor-Elect.
KINGMAN – Multiple dignitaries and a large crowd participated in the groundbreaking for the Legal Services Center on Tuesday afternoon (December 17, 2024.) This project involves the construction of a new single office building for different legal services (County Attorney, Victim Witness, Legal Defender, Public Defender, Legal Advocate and Indigent Defense Services), which currently occupy five different structures with an average age of 52 years.
The new facility on Pine Street in Kingman, directly behind the courthouse, will provide business-focused work areas, enable future growth, staffing, and functional changes, increase building operational efficiency, and will definitely improve a high quality of work environment.
Speakers included County Supervisors Jean Bishop and Travis Lingenfelter, County Attorney Matt Smith, and County Manager Sam Elters.
Currently, some of the county’s legal services workers are housed in multiple locations because they have little room, with offices supporting 2-4 people for offices designed for only one. There have also been plumbing and ventilation issues, as well as leaks. The new Legal Services Center will allow those employees to have all their teams and personnel in one place, which will help improve efficiency and morale.
The four speakers each echoed the statements mentioned and early advocates like Supervisors Bishop and Lingenfelter praised the decision to build the new structure. Smith gave special thanks to Elters for his efforts in getting it done.
Supervisor Bishop said the decision to build the Legal Services Center was long overdue. It will be a facility highly beneficial to all who work there, making their tasks more efficient and less taxing. The groundbreaking was one of the last events she participated in as she leaves her position as a supervisor at the end of the year.
Supervisor Lingenfelter stated, “it will keep departments together. It will help further streamline operations of legal services; it will help provide a facility the public deserves with a professional staff. We can all work together more efficiently under one roof. That’s good for everyone.”
