County seeks estimates for courthouse repairs, plans building maintenance checklist

County staff on Aug. 11 reported estimates and short-term repair plans for water-damaged areas of the courthouse and described work to develop facility maintenance checklists and building maps.

Facilities described water damage in the sheriff’s lobby and jury room and said one contractor recommended patching with “hot mud” and repainting rather than full replacement of plaster and glass features. The facilities manager said she will gather estimates for several smaller projects that can be done in-house or under the facilities budget.

Officials also discussed larger restoration needs — stucco, windows and stair refinishing — that could be funded through a future grant. A participant described an email from an architectural official noting that a restoration grant would open in approximately July 2027 for courthouse projects. The participant said those larger projects could be candidates for that grant when it becomes available.

Separately, staff said they have created a permitted maintenance checklist covering utilities, water lines and electrical inspections and plan to print a building map identifying offices, fire escapes and other key locations for posting at building entrances. The facilities manager said the checklist will allow the county to project maintenance needs (for example, painting cycles) and estimate costs for future budget planning.

Next steps: facilities will provide written cost estimates for smaller repairs, continue to track larger restoration projects for the anticipated July 2027 grant opening and finalize a posted building map and routine maintenance checklist.