The AC power outage did not stop people from going about their business at the Etowah courthouse

Employees and customers made the best of a difficult and heated situation July 8 at the Etowah County Courthouse.

The water main break that disrupted service across the city meant there was not enough water pressure to power the chillers in the courthouse’s air conditioning unit.

That meant temperatures as high as the mid-80s inside the building, with humidity “through the roof,” according to Probate Judge Scott Hassell.

More: Repairs Completed on Gadsden Water Main; Effort and Cooperation Cited in Response

Hassell gave his employees the option to take the day off or take a leave of absence, but he said they all came to work — something he told county commissioners on July 9 seemed to be universal throughout the building.

He said his probate office staff withstood the heat to complete 33 registrations (mortgages and deeds), more than 80 driver’s license renewals, five business licenses, “a stack of marriage records” and new boat license plates. The probate court conducted three adoptions and eight other probate hearings.

“There were no complaints, either from the public in the lobby or from our employees who worked here,” Hassell said.

He said he was proud of his staff for their hard work and dedication, but added: “It was encouraging for me to see how (citizens) took care of each other. Someone would give up their seat for an elderly person or share water.

“Everything you see in the news and on social media shows how bad the world is,” he said. “I’m proud of not only our staff, but the citizens of our county. We’ve seen them take care of each other as people’s business continues to unfold.”

Commission Chairman Tim Ramsey echoed that praise. “I really appreciate our employees,” he said. “It wasn’t a happy day and it wasn’t a good day because of the heat, but I appreciate that they stepped up and did what needed to be done.”

“A lot of people needed what they did (Monday) to be done (that day) and not next week or some other time,” he said.

Hassell noted that County Administrative Officer Shane Ellison was in the building to encourage and help people, “and he didn’t lose his sense of humor when he said the heat advisory that was issued was for the inside of the courthouse.”

“We just kept rolling,” he said.