County is ready to seek bids to restore courthouse exterior

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

BENTON - With interior renovations at the Scott County Courthouse nearly complete, commissioners will seek bids to restore the building's exterior.

Commissioners discussed the renovations during their regular meeting Tuesday.

Commissioner Jamie Burger said spending money to restore the courthouse is a necessity "every hundred years or so."

Exterior renovations will primarily consist of masonry restoration.

Renovations will include replacing mortar between bricks, a process known as "tuckpointing," according to commissioners.

"That happens a lot down here you have a lot of freezing and thawing," Commissioner Dennis Ziegenhorn said of the mortar damage.

The renovations will also include cleaning the terra cotta and masonry, recaulking lintels and installing "weeps" to keep moisture from being trapped behind the lintels, installing solid metal chimney caps, and replacing missing letters on the front of the building which should read "Scott County Courthouse."

In other business Tuesday:

* Presiding Commissioner Martin Priggel asked Harlan Duncan, road and bridge department supervisor, how he thought the county's blacktop would hold up if nothing was done this year.

"Some of them are going to be plum down to dirt," Duncan predicted.

Discussing one road in particular, he advised: "We can overlay and save it now."

"We know we've got a problem there," Priggel agreed.

Duncan said the county needs to concentrate its efforts and resources on existing blacktop.

* Commissioners will review design plans for a replacement bridge on County Road 412 between Oran and Morley at 10:30 a.m. during their regular meeting Thursday.

"We feel that one is one of the worst ones," Burger said of the existing bridge.

The new bridge will be wider. Also, on one side the road only runs about 8 feet before ending in a "T" with another road so the project includes feathering the approaches, Burger said.

Burger said the project is the only bridge replacement planned for 2005.

* The county will hold two more Saturday tire roundup for county residents.

Residents may drop off passenger car tires from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. April 16 and 23 at the county road and bridge department shed in Benton.

The county needs another 400 tires to arrange a pickup, according to Duncan.

He said no truck or tractor tires are accepted and tires must be removed from rims.

* Commissioners received three bids for a storage shed to place in the alley behind the sheriff's office building.

The shed will be used to store lawn mowers and other yard maintenance equipment presently stored in the jail and courthouse basements.

Ziegenhorn agreed to go look at the products from the bidding vendors to see if the quality is comparable.

* Commissioners met with the proposed countywide rural water district's steering committee.

"They're still pushing forward for a positive vote April 5," Burger said.

Steering committee members advised they would place flyers around the county and advertisements in local papers as part of their ongoing efforts.

* Tom Dirnberger, recorder of deeds for the county, advised commissioners he will not renew the service contract for computers in his office as it is cheaper to purchase new computers every couple of years.

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