Jill Schramm/MDN A construction zone is set up Monday around the west side of Minot Municipal Auditorium, where the entrance to Minot’s municipal court office is located at right. The work going on this summer will replace a retaining wall near the auditorium and City Hall.

Ward County commissioners agreed Monday to offer temporary space to Minot’s municipal court when the superintendent of schools vacates an office in the Courthouse later this summer.

The Superintendent of Schools office will be relocated to the Ward County Administration Building in space being vacated by the North Dakota State University Extension Service. The Extension Service will be moving to the former county highway building in southeast Minot. A move date for the superintendent of schools is tentatively planned for the first week of August.

Minot City Manager Harold Stewart said the city will have to examine the superintendent of schools space to determine whether it meets municipal court’s temporary and long-term needs.

“I appreciate the county commissioners taking a serious look at this and doing their due diligence and making space available,” Stewart said. “We certainly appreciate their partnership on this issue.”

The City of Minot had inquired whether the county could make temporary room for municipal court in the Courthouse because of inconveniences with the current location in Minot Municipal Auditorium. Work this summer on a retaining wall is making access difficult. The city also is looking for a longer-term space solution that would offer better accessibility and has discussed that possibility with the county.

Stewart said the offer of the Courthouse space in August comes as work on the retaining wall will be finishing. That negates the need for a temporary location, so the city will have to consider whether making the move still would be advantageous, he said.

If the city accepts the temporary quarters in the Courthouse, the county commission indicated it would re-evaluate in November to see if the situation can be made permanent.

Stewart said the city continues to look at alternatives for long-term space, although few options exist. The city has concluded the building being renovated for a new city hall lacks suitable space, but it hasn’t ruled out space in the present city hall once existing offices relocate.