Executive Summary

Monroe County

Front of Courthouse Front of Jail

The Monroe County courthouse was built in 1881, there were additions put onto the building in the 1950s and 1970s. The building is two stories plus a basement and is approximately 17,000 square feet. The building is on the National Historic Register. The building’s exterior is in overall good condition, but we recommend cleaning and re-pointing the brick walls. There is some minor cracking in the original brick. We recommend consulting a structural engineer to determine the cause and extent of the cracking.

The roof on the building consists of a flat section and a moderately pitched metal roof. The flat roof has some leakage problems so we recommend the leaks be repaired. The metal roof is in good condition.

There are nine single paned wood windows and 10 double paned aluminum windows. The wood windows are original to the building and should be replaced with wood windows with historical sashes. The doors are all in good condition, except there is no weather-stripping on them, therefore, it is advised to install weather-stripping on all the doors.

The interior of the building is in good condition, but some cosmetic attention is needed to correct peeling wallpaper and to freshen the paint. The interior of the basement is in poor condition and is small, so we recommend remodeling the basement for storage.

This building has a fire alarm system for records room only. We recommend installing a fire alarm system in the whole building, installing a sprinkler system, illuminated exit signs to mark emergency exits, emergency lights, panic hardware on all exit doors, and enclose the stairway with a fire rated door and wall.

To bring this building up to ADA compatibility requirements, we recommend installing an elevator, and an automatic door opener to the handicap entrance door.

To improve security at this building, we recommend the entrance to the building needs to be restricted to one entrance for the public. There should be entry-level screening using a walk-through metal detector and an x-ray machine at this entrance.

The electrical system in the building is in good condition, except for the sub panels in the basement of the original courthouse. We recommend these sub panels be replaced. The building has a heating system that is in good condition, but we recommend complimenting the existing HVAC system with central air conditioning for the remainder of the building, which would eliminate the need for window air conditioning units.

The existing building does not have enough office or storage space. We recommend adding a 30,000 square foot judicial annex to house the family court, law clerk and magistrate court and prosecuting attorney. This would also relieve the congested work area and the congested document storage area in the main courthouse.

The Prosecuting Attorney’s building was built in 1939. It is one story plus a basement and it is approximately 2,500 square feet. The building is in good condition, but it would be costly to bring it up to modern courthouse standards in terms of ADA requirements, fire safety and security. Minor repairs could make this building useful for functions other than courthouse functions, but we recommend moving this office to the judicial annex after it is built.

Total cost of this project: $5,896,200.

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