HOUSTON, TX - The smell of raw sewage is no longer overpowering those entering the Juvenile Justice Center after a damaged sewer line outside the building was replaced, a county administrator said on Wednesday.

"I know the smell was very disruptive," said Rich Elwood, who oversees major construction projects for the county. "The smell, knock on wood, is gone."

The Houston Chronicle reported last week that the building has been plagued by problems since it opened in April after a $58 million renovation.

Judges said they have a hard time hearing lawyers and witnesses because courtroom doors make a loud, popping sound when they are opened and closed. And judges were worried that security was wanting because a back door was not locked or guarded.

The door was secured, Elwood told the county Juvenile Board. As a result of miscommunication, the door had been left unlocked because construction workers are still working in the building, he said.

Quieter doors will be installed in courtrooms if they meet the fire code, he said.

The justice center is home to juvenile courts and a detention facility for about 270 youths.

Raw sewage sometimes backed up into the building because the city of Houston sewer pipe on Caroline had fallen apart, Elwood said.

After the building opened and "once you had 200 kids flushing toilets, it backed up, and it backed up rather quickly," Elwood said.