During budget hearings the county commissioners approved $24,000 to repair the two downstairs bathrooms. The price tag — from several years ago — was $250,000 to paint and re-carpet the entire courthouse. That money would come from the general fund. Juvenile Judge Ron Craft said the courthouse is always teeming with people. And the sign at the front door that says no food or beverages are allowed is often ignored so stains litter the carpet throughout the building that is weary from age.
With county budgets easing a bit, the judge asked the commissioners to think about sprucing up his court.
“I’m not asking for the full boat, but I’d like to get moving on the first floor,” Craft said. “We have part of the first floor being held together by duct tape. We’ve talked about this for years, it’s our building, it’s your building, it’s my building. I think we need to move (on the work).”
Court Administrator Rob Clevenger said the county’s maintenance department has done what it can to patch glaring problems, but until the new roof was put on it didn’t make sense to tackle the cosmetic issues. He said he understands why the county has had to hold back.
“What we’ve run into for the past four or five years is really what everybody has run into, which is a difficult economy,” Clevenger said. “There were a lot things we were hoping to get addressed, the drag on all that was there weren’t the dollars to do that.”
The county Purchasing Manager Randy Quisenberry said he has ordered products that are made to stand up against the juvenile court population.
“They have product out now that permanent marker wipes off with soap and water with very little effort,” Quisenberry said. “Box cutter or scrapes into a surface can be sanded out and removed where they are almost unnoticeable. We are trying to use the newest products so if there is vandalism you’ll be able to bring it back to installation condition.”
Clevenger said they also have an opportunity to upgrade the detention facilities with state Department of Youth Services money. The state would pay 60 percent of the $917,440 project, leaving the county to pick up a $366,976 capital improvement tab.
New flooring, lighting, enhanced security, plumbing and electrical work would be done if the commissioners agree to the project and the state application is approved.
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