On February 3, 1995, the Old Amtrak Station officially became home to the brand-new Neighborhood Justice Center.  I had the great privilege of being its founding executive director and was the sole occupant of that building for our first two years.  What began as a community mediation program to help reduce the burden on our court system grew into a vibrant center for peace and justice.

As the $3.5 million transformation of the Amtrak Station is complete and it is now the Leon County Visitor Information Center, I wanted to share my thoughts about its history as the Neighborhood Justice Center.

Our open house hosted approximately 200 folks including Gov. Lawton and First Lady Rhea Chiles, Florida Supreme Court Justice Leander Shaw, and a host of other local elected officials and interested community members. We were housed in the Old Amtrak Station because it was a vacant building owned by both the city and county.

The seed of this idea was partially from Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Rosemary Barkett who wanted justice in the 21^st century to include a multitude of stand-alone justice centers (or kiosks) so access to justice would be key to speedy justice.  The seed of this idea for me came from my mediation mentor, Bill Lincoln, an international powerhouse in the mediation world who encouraged me to explore creating a community mediation program in Tallahassee. Credit must be given to then Chief Judge Phil Padovano and Court Administrator Tom Long for pushing this idea forward.

Walking down memory lane through this rare and beautiful building, I think of the hundreds of conflicts successfully resolved by our volunteer certified mediators.  No issue seemed beyond our capacity.  We were new in town, and everyone wanted us to succeed. The Tallahassee Democrat on occasion would write an editorial about an issue facing our community and then encourage its mediation at the Neighborhood Justice Center. I remember the long-standing case between the Clerk of the Courts and the Board of County Commissioners mediated by former Florida Supreme Court Justice Parker Lee MacDonald. Mediation is confidential, but this case was on the front page of a Sunday Tallahassee Democrat because the parties wanted the community to know of their success in resolving this case.

We were invited to facilitate community dialogues for issues faced by city commissioners. Among the topics were: the placement of a drug rehab facility in the neighborhood without having first met with these neighbors, the city’s Tree Trimming Committee charged with creating an environmentally sound plan for trimming our beloved trees, creating a community plan for those endangered by domestic violence, and working with groups on racism and how it impacts the implementation of justice.

The Day of Dialogue began at the Neighborhood Justice Center in conjunction with the city and the local NAACP in an effort to be part of an international event to talk about race relations on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.  The late Tallahasee Democrat columnist Gerald Ensley was on hand to report on this event which continues today.

What touches me most about the Neighborhood Justice Center was how we gave voice to the need to create meaningful solutions and justice for everyone.  As the Old Amtrak Station now becomes the Leon County Visitor Information Center, this historic building should also be known for the years its primary focus was celebrating diversity and creating peace.

Martha Weinstein was the Founding Executive Director for the Neighborhood Justice Center from 1995-2000. Although retired, she continues to put peace in the world through various activities.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: At the heart of the new Visitor Center is peace