The estimated $6.3 million courthouse renovation will proceed as presented after members of the county council and county commissioners met in a joint meeting Friday.
County officials agreed to meet in a special joint session after concerns regarding the scope of the project and plans created by DLZ Engineering arose at Tuesday’s council meeting.
There was a consensus from both the council and commissioners that the exterior of the courthouse needs immediate attention. The roof is in poor condition, which allows water to seep into the walls of the building. The damage is visible inside the historic building. Repairs will include fixing the roof and other exterior deterioration.
“When we started talking about this nearly three years ago, we knew the jail bond was about to be paid off and we would be able to repair the exterior of the courthouse without raising taxes,” Montgomery County Commission President John Frey said. “We know the courthouse needs some serious renovation and the outside cannot wait.”
Frey said the building has some ADA issues and needs more restroom facilities.
There is some urgency in the funding the renovation project. Commissioners have earmarked $1.3 million of the county’s American Rescue Plans Act funds for the project. These funds must be used by Dec. 31, or the county will have to return the money to the federal government. Using the ARPA funds will reduce the bond amount needed to approximately $5.2 million.
“If we were to take into account all the planning it would take to completely renovate the inside of the courthouse, we would never be able to meet our deadline by the end of the year,” County Attorney Dan Taylor said. “This conversation is never going to end because we do not know things like when the state will mandate a fourth court. When that time comes, we must be able to move quickly. It could be two years or maybe seven years, we just don’t know.”
Superior Court II Judge Daniel Petrie attended the meeting. He said he understood the time restraints on funding and agreed the exterior of the courthouse is the most serious concern.
“I think we would like to know if there is a long-term plan for the inside renovation,” Petrie said. “We appreciate you repairing the outside.”
Montgomery County Administrator Tom Klein said the bond being sought for the exterior repairs could be refinanced down the road to enable interior renovations. Both council members and commissioners agreed interior renovations are inevitable, but do not believe a definitive plan can be established today.
“Everyone agrees the outside of the courthouse is our priority,” Montgomery Council President David Hunt said. “As far as the inside, we will need a more complete plan.”
All members agreed to proceed with the present DLZ plan that renovates the exterior as well as deals with interior restrooms and ADA improvements.
Other topics discussed by the officials were the state’s READI-2 grants, the contract with Thrive Midwest to address housing issues, economic development, Accumulated Bridge Fund rate benefits, public safety with an emphasis of treating mental health, and drug abuse.
Several officials expressed appreciation for the joint meeting and voiced that they would like to continue these meetings on a more regular basis.
