Retired District Judge Richard M. Avery Jr. and his wife, the former Mary Katherine Arbuthnot, stand outside the Judge Richard M. Avery Jr. Courthouse Annex II in Marion. The Perry County Commission will announce a ribbon cutting date for the remodeled annex.
Retired District Judge is Hale Co. native
The Perry County Commission will schedule a ribbon cutting for the Judge Richard M. Avery Jr. Courthouse Annex II once a date can be set around the retired judge’s availability, according to District 1 Commissioner Albert Turner Jr.
The county spent about $350,000 remodeling the former H&H building into its second courthouse annex, which will continue to house citizen services offices. The Perry County Healthcare Coordinator’s Office, Perry County EMA, Auburn Extension Services, and the Alabama Driver’s License Office will all be located in the annex.
The building is named for the longest-serving district judge in Perry County history. Richard M. Avery Jr. served 30 years on the bench, from 1976 to 2007. He is married to the former Mary Katherine Arbuthnot, and the couple has two sons.
Turner, who made the motion roughly two years ago to name the building in Avery’s honor, said he is working to secure a date when the Averys can join commissioners and the public for the ceremony, which will formally open the first county building named for a former judge.
