Mineral County Courthouse Detail Report

 

Component

Current Status

Recommendations

Cost

General Exterior

The Mineral County Courthouse was constructed in the late 1890’s.  The approximate size of the courthouse is 18,000 square feet with three stories plus a bell tower, (P1, P2, P3, P4, P5).

 

The building is a mixture of styles and materials.  The original courthouse is grand with beautiful brown brick and stonework.  It looks as if there was an earlier red brick addition prior to the fluted concrete block annex attached to the back. 

 

 

 

 

 

Exterior Walls

The exterior of the building is brick.  The building has extensive water damage, moss, mold and staining to the block and brick located all over the outside of the building.  The building shows some evidence of settlement, (P6, P7, P8, P9).  The building has extensive stairstep cracks on the 2nd floor south exterior wall (P11, P12).  The south, southeast and southwest sides of the original building have peeling paint (P22, P23).  The overall exterior walls of the building are in poor condition.

 

The foundation of the building is stone (P1).  In 1990 they jacked up the building and replaced the south basement wall.  They replaced the wall due to its continual deterioration and collapse.  The continued collapses led to cracking in the back wall of the courtroom.  Pictures of the courtroom cracking problem were unable to be taken do to a trial in progress.  Otherwise, the interior walls of the building are in good condition.

 

Clean, and re-point the brick and stone to restore the courthouse.

 

Perform an engineering study to determine the cause of the cracks on the 2nd floor south exterior wall.

 

The interior walls of the courtroom should be repaired, when the cause of cracking has been eliminated.

 

 

$75,000

 

$10,000

 

 

$  5,000

Roof

The roof of the original section of the courthouse is pitched with asphalt shingles that were replaced 1991 and is in good condition, (P1, P2, P3, P4). The other additions to the courthouse have roofs that are flat with rubber membrane.  They are in good condition.

 

 

Windows and Doors

The windows are wood frame, single pane windows.  They are original to the construction of the building, and are in good condition, (P25).  There are new windows located in the judge’s chambers and on the lower 2nd floor.  They were replaced approximately 6 years ago.  These windows are vinyl frame, double pane windows in good condition, (P26). 

 

The front entrance door is aluminum frame without panic hardware installed.  This door is in good condition and swings out of the building (P27).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Install panic hardware on the entry doors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$  6,000

Fire Safety

The building does not have a fire alarm or sprinkler system.  There are emergency lights in the building that operate on battery backup, are working properly, and appear to be located in the proper place.  The exit signs are working and appear to be located in the proper places.

 

The two staircases in the building are not enclosed by firewalls or fire doors, (P30, P31, P32, P33, P35). 

Install a sprinkler system throughout the building.

 

Install a fire alarm system throughout the building.

 

 

 

Install firewalls and fire doors

$65,000

 

$  5,000

 

 

 

$3,000

ADA

There was one parking space on the right side of the building that had proper signage but lacked a painted symbol on the ground, (P28).  The front entrance of the building was accessible by a ramp, (P29).  Once in the building a lift provided access from the first to the second floor, (P30, P31).  Building lacks lever hardware and ADA signage.

 

The building did not have restrooms for handicap access.

 

The judge’s bench and witness stand are not accessible.

The accessible parking space does not comply with ADA.  If a person in a wheelchair parks in the space, they will block the curb ramp.  We recommend a new parking space off the street.

 

Install new ADA compliant unisex restroom

 

Install ADA hardware, signage, and lifts as follows:

       Install new lever handles

       Install new signage

       Install witness stand/judge’s bench lift.

 

$100

 

 

 

$10,000

 

 

$7,500

$1,200

$18,000

Structure

 

The left wall in the rear of the building has had tension rods installed to keep the exterior brick from falling off (P23, P24).  Several areas on the front and rear of the building have major amounts of cracking occurring and need to be studied and a corrective plan developed.  A list all exterior wall problems is in above exterior wall section.

 

 

 

Security

They do have closed circuit television throughout the building.  They also have bulletproof material and panic buttons on the judge’s bench.  Otherwise, the building did not have metal detectors, guards, or a security alarm installed. 

 

Install an entry-level screening using a walk-through metal detector and an x-ray machine.

 

Install an audible alarm, magnetic contacts, and a crash bar on all exit doors except the main entry.

 

Install duress alarms 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, the family court judge’s office, the adult and juvenile probation officers offices, prosecuting attorney’s desk, beneath the receptionist’s desk, and beneath the table in the conference room.  Duress alarms should be installed beneath the front counter, an office desk, magistrates’ desks, the magistrates’ assistants’ desks, and the bench in the courtroom.

 

Prosecution and defense witnesses should have separate witness rooms and rest rooms to avoid threats and assaults.

 

The judge’s bench and clerk’s desk should be protected on the front and sides that have public exposure with ballistic material.

 

Replaced all light switches in public areas with key-controlled switches, and breaker boxes should be locked.

 

Install a phone line to provide the court and the staff with outside communication in case of power failure.

 

Apply window glass tinting to eliminate outside view through the windows in the courtroom and jury room

 

Remove, trim, or cut down any bush, shrubbery, or trees surrounding the courthouse and parking lot, which may provide cover to an assailant.

 

 

$40,000

 

 

$7,500

 

 

$4,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$10,000

 

 

$6,000

 

 

$3,000

 

 

$3,000

 

 

$3,000

 

 

$500

 

 

 

Electrical

The electrical service is overhead and enters the north side of the building from pole-mounted transformers on the northeast street corner, (P42).  The main distribution panel for the building is located on the 1st floor of the building and is a Square D, 208 Y / 120 volt, 3 phase, 4 wire, 600 Amp Max. Then it is distributed throughout the building in several different Square D panels, (P43, P44).  The panels throughout the building are in good condition.

 

The lighting for the building (fluorescent and incandescent) is adequate throughout the halls and offices. 

 

 

 

Mechanical

Located in the basement are 2 Burnham gas fired boilers that handle heating, (P50).  They are in good operating order and condition.  These boilers feed many hot water baseboard units throughout the building. 

 

There is a York condenser unit for cooling of the courtroom on the roof of the northwest addition's roof, (P52).  This unit is operating properly and in good condition.  Window units located throughout the offices of the courthouse handle all of the other cooling, (P51).

 

We recommend a central air handling system be installed in the courthouse for aesthetics and energy efficiency.

$200,000

Work Safety

No problems where noted.

 

 

 

Space requirement

Renovation of the jail would provide for more offices and storage space.

 

See the jail detail report for renovation.

 

Subtotal

 

 

$482,800

Soft Costs

Professional fees, permits, surveys, and studies

20% of total

$96,560

Total Cost

 

 

$579,360

 

 

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