Westmoreland commissioners OK $350K in technology upgrades

More technological upgrades are coming to Westmoreland County’s courtrooms with the help of federal funding.

The county’s 16 district court buildings will be better connected to the courthouse, and courtrooms in Greensburg will have improved wireless infrastructure under two projects totaling about $353,000. Both were approved by commissioners this week.

About $150,000 of the total cost will be covered by $31.5 million in funding through the federal CARES Act that was awarded to the county this summer. District court administrator Amy Mears DeMatt said the upgrades have been put off in the past because the money needed for them hasn’t been available.

“We’ve never been able to fund it before, but this provides us an opportunity to modernize,” she said.

A new $248,000 system for the district courts will allow employees there to have a reliable line directly to the courthouse and more robust Wi-Fi, said Chris Haidze, magisterial district court administrator. It is an update that has been needed for years, he said.

“They’ll have an always-on connection with the courthouse,” he said.

That will be a plus for members of the county’s IT department. They’ll be able to connect remotely to the court buildings to solve any computer issues rather than driving to the office, Mears DeMatt said.

At the courthouse, Wi-Fi access will improve in courtrooms under the $105,000 project.

“This was an opportunity to begin the next generation of wireless infrastructure,” she said.

The two projects are in addition to improvements to video and audio capabilities within the county’s 11 courtrooms, which have seen an increased number of court hearings by video. About $30,000 in federal grant funding was used to purchase 15 new 55-inch high-definition televisions, along with 13 laptops and four evidence presenters to be used during court proceedings.

A $180,000 contract was approved this year for audio upgrades.