Hardy County Executive Summary

Front of Courthouse Front of Sheriff’s office and Jail

The Hardy County courthouse was built in 1913 and an addition was added in 1984. The building is approximately 22,320 square feet. The exterior of the building is made of brick and stucco. We recommend that the brick be cleaned and re-pointed and the stucco should be patched. The windows and doors are in good condition, but the caulking around both should be replaced.

The building has a fire alarm system, but the whole building is not covered with this system. This building also has exit and emergency signs. We recommend installing a sprinkler system and connecting all of the building up to the fire alarm system and servicing the fire panel.

To bring this building up to ADA compatibility requirements, the county should install signs on the handicap parking spaces, handrail on the alternate ADA ramp, an automatic door opener at the entrance, and a witness stand / judge’s bench lift. They should also install raised letter ADA signs throughout the corridors and on the doors, and replacing all doorknobs with lever hardware. Remodeling three restrooms (one on each floor) to conform to ADA standards is also recomended for compliance.

To improve security on in this building, this facility needs to be equipped with an entry-level screening using a walk-through metal detector and an X-ray machine. All perimeter doors not being used for entry-level screening should be used for emergency exits only. These doors should also be secured by installing an audible alarm, magnetic contacts, and a crash bar. Duress alarms should be installed beneath the judge’s desk, secretary’s desk, judge’s bench in the courtroom, hearing table in the jury room, and the clerk’s desk. In addition, the judge’s bench and clerk’s desk should be protected with ballistic material.

The interior plastered walls in the older part of the courthouse are reportedly a health concern. We recommend consulting a safety professional to examine the older part of the courthouse and to prepare a report regarding health safety concerns.

There is a request for more storage space for this county. We recommend adding a 10,000 square foot building for storage of documents to meet the existing demand, to accommodate the increasing demand for storage and to provide more working space.

The Hardy County Jail building was built in 1958 and it is approximately 2,700 square feet. The exterior of the building is in overall good condition, but there is some minor cracking in brick of the exterior walls. We recommend consulting a structural engineer if the cracks continue to worsen. This building does have a fire alarm system but the fire panel is not working properly, therefore, the fire panel should be serviced and the county should install illuminated exit signs throughout the building. To bring this building up to ADA compatibility requirements, we recommend having a railing on both sides of the ramp. We also recommend installing one ADA restroom, and equipping all doors with lever hardware, and adding ADA signage on the doors and in the corridors. We also recommend installing a new HVAC system for the building.

Total cost for this project: $2,109,840.

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