“Mounting problems with the design of the new $5 million Law and Justice Center in Coupeville have left many county employees cold, cramped and unhappy.Some panic alarms aren’t reachable. Detectives can’t push their chairs away from their desk without bumping into each other. Tight offices weren’t designed to handle the inevitable increase in employees. Secured areas have holes. The state-of-the-art air-conditioning system is really loud.Friday morning, Superior Court employees were shivering because the temperature in the building had dipped into the 50s after the heating system broke down. Several hours later, it wasn’t much better.I’m not sure we got much better. I’m not sure we got any more space, Island County Superior Court Judge Vickie Churchill complained Friday after a day in court.But I’m somewhat hopeful we’ll be able to find solutions to all these problems, she added.Public Works Director Larry Kwarsick, the county official dealing with the complaints, downplays the seriousness of the problems. He has set a meeting in two weeks with department heads and elected officials to talk about the concerns.These are not emergencies and they are not critical issues. They will be really easily resolved … he said Thursday. There are little bugs that need to get worked out. We are going to work through each and every problem.But some officials say they have serious questions about the overall design of the building, done by Anacortes architect Bryan Young. He was paid more than $500,000 for the work, county figures show.Probably the most serious issue raised by officials is the lack of space, a matter raised by at least three departments. The bigger question is: If space is if already cramped in the new building before the grand opening, then where will there be space for future growth? By all county employee accounts, the Sheriff’s Office got the shortest end of the stick, space-wise. The overall space of the department was actually diminished in the move.Kwarsick, however, said the new design has a more efficient use of space. But he did admit that the administrative, front-desk area of the department is too cramped. He said that will be fixed.In the prosecutor’s office, the area had to be rearranged to make space for a new deputy prosecutor’s office, which hadn’t been planned.The court administrator’s office doesn’t even have enough room for supplies, employees say. And for some reason, the department doesn’t have any heating. People in that office wear coats and gloves to stay warm.Churchill called for an emergency meeting about the law library next Wednesday because of her concerns about book space. Churchill also said the courtrooms were poorly designed. Many things are too tall or in the way, she said. It’s very difficult to hand papers to the clerk.Because of a design snafu in the security of the courtrooms, Judge Alan Hancock said the defendants have to be brought in one at a time, which considerably slows things down.I’m concerned because we often have a huge amount to accomplish in a small space of time, he said.On the other hand, the court clerk’s office, which was stuck in a dirty little corner of the old courthouse for years, is spacious and pretty close to perfect, said Churchill.We’re not just complaining, but we’re trying to find solutions, Churchill said. Hopefully we can solve these problems. “