As Erie braces for large crowds, Erie County Courthouse will now close on day of eclipse

In a shift, the Erie County Courthouse will close on the day of the total solar eclipse.

After saying in February that it intended to keep the courthouse open on April 8, the administration of Erie County Executive Brenton Davis said on Monday that the courthouse and most county offices located elsewhere will shut down on that date.

Court sessions on April 8 were canceled in February via a court order from Erie County President Judge Joseph M. Walsh III.

But the courthouse and the non-court county offices inside, such as the Assessment Bureau and the Voter Registration Office, still would have operated had the courthouse stayed open.

The entire courthouse now will be closed on April 8, when officials expect as many as 200,000 visitors to arrive in Erie to view the total solar eclipse. Erie is a prized viewing destination because it is in the path of totality — the path in which the total solar eclipse will be visible for the longest period.

Shift of voter registration deadline influenced plan

Walsh and other court officials said they decided to cancel county court sessions on April 8 due to concerns that heavy traffic would prevent employees and visitors from readily getting to and leaving the building. The federal courthouse in Erie will also be closed on April 8. Most schools will be closed or have remote classes.

The need for the county courthouse to stay open was reduced once court sessions were canceled and after Erie County Council voted on March 12 to extend to April 9 the deadline for registering to vote for the April 23 primary. The last day to register to vote at the Voter Registration Office had been April 8.

With the courts and the Voter Registration Office taken care of, the Davis administration decided to close the courthouse altogether, said the administration's public information officer, Chris Carroll.

In announcing the closing on Monday, Davis urged residents to be careful on April 8.

"As we prepare for the upcoming eclipse event and anticipate a large influx of visitors into Erie County, I want to remind everyone to enjoy the eclipse safely," Davis said in a statement. "This is a unique opportunity to witness a natural phenomenon, but it is important to be mindful of the potential impact on our community. We encourage everyone to plan ahead, follow safety guidelines and be respectful of others as we all experience this event together."

Prison, other 'essential' operations will stay open

Davis said the following county operations will remain open with a normal schedule on April 8. He described them as "essential, public-facing operations."

• The Erie County Prison

• The county Department of Public Safety

• The Edmund L. Thomas Adolescent Center

• The Raymond M. Blasco Memorial Library and the branches of the county library system

All other county offices, including those not located at the courthouse, at 140 W. Sixth St., will be closed, Davis said. They include the Public Defender's Office and the county Department of Health.

County employees at the courthouse and those who work at other county buildings that will be closed "are expected to either work from a remote location or use their own accrued vacation or personal time," the county said in a statement. "It is up to the department head to monitor remote work assignments."

Employees of the county court system will get paid as they normally would on April 8, Judge Walsh said in his court order in February.

City Hall, federal courthouse also closed on April 8

Across from the courthouse, Erie City Hall will be closed to the public on April 8, though the building will remain open for “essential” City Hall employees, such as police and fire command staff, Mayor Joe Schember said in February.

Next to City Hall, the federal courthouse in Erie will also be closed on April 8. That order came on March 26 from Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Hornak of the Pittsburgh-based U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, which includes the Erie Division.

Hornak ordered the federal courthouse in Erie closed "in the interest of public safety" due to Erie "being within the path of totality for the total solar eclipse" and due to "the expectation that there will be unprecedented crowds gathering in Erie to experience this eclipse," according to the order. Hornak said the court staff "will be required to telework or use leave."

On April 8, the big moment will begin at 3:16 p.m. in Erie. That's when the moon will start blocking the sun, and the sun's outermost atmosphere, or corona, will be visible in Erie. The total eclipse will end in Erie a little less than four minutes later.

Contact Ed Palattella at [email protected]. Follow him on X @ETNpalattella.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Solar eclipse: Erie County PA Courthouse plan changed, closed April 8