Magisterial District Judge John Prebish Jr. speaks with retired judge Charity Nileski during a dedication ceremony Friday. During the ceremony, Cambria County officials dedicated the newly constructed magisterial district court building along West Second Street in Cresson Township. Mirror photo by Matt Churella

CRESSON — Cambria County officials said a new magisterial district court building in Cresson Township will bring added security for staff, more space to hold victims or witnesses appearing for court and a more appealing visual for community members to visit.

During a dedication ceremony Friday for Magisterial District Judge John Prebish’s new office building along West Second Street in Cresson, Prebish said the new building and needed security upgrades have been “a long time coming.”

He said the vision to get a bigger facility started with Senior Judge Norman A. Krumenacker III when he was the county’s president judge years ago. Linda Fleming, the county’s current president judge, Cresson Township officials and the Cambria County commissioners were also involved in making Friday’s dedication come to fruition, Prebish said.

Prebish presides over 16 municipalities in his district — Allegheny Township, Ashville Borough, Cassandra Borough, Chest Springs Borough, Cresson Borough, Cresson Township, Gallitzin Borough, Gallitzin Township, Lilly Borough, Loretto Borough, Munster Township, Portage Borough, Portage Township, Sankertown Borough, Tunnelhill Borough and Washington Township.

His previous office building, along Portage Road in Cresson, didn’t have enough conference rooms to separate victims or witnesses, who had to remain in the staff’s lunch room during court sessions, Prebish said, noting it also “didn’t have a lot of” security features his new office does, such as a separate entrance and waiting area for prisoner transports.

Previously, prisoner transports were mingled with members of the general public appearing for court, which caused several issues before, Prebish said.

“It just brings us up to times with where we probably should be with today’s world of security and space,” Prebish said.

The secure building is more than twice the size of the previous building, in which retired judge Charity Nileski worked when she was a magisterial district judge for 18 years.

Nileski said she’s “amazed” by the “gorgeous” new building while touring it Friday.

“They’re so lucky to have this,” Nileski said.

Cambria County Commissioner Keith Rager said the commissioners wanted to get the new office building for Prebish and his staff to keep them safe.

“Safety for his employees and even other people that come in is paramount,” Rager said, noting there are locked doors and cameras posted at every part of the building.

“There’s things in this building that are set so that they’re safe. Not only that, but (it’s about) making it a better-looking place for people in this community because he (Prebish) represents them,” Rager said.

Prebish said he worries about his staff’s safety because “they deal with people on a daily basis coming in and out who aren’t always the happiest complaints.”

“I tell people all the time: I worry about my staff,” Prebish said. “I worry about a Friday afternoon when somebody’s complaining about a police officer who’s giving them a ticket and they didn’t have anything to do with it.”

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.