Taylor County Courthouse Detail Report

Component	Current Status	Recommendations	Cost
General Exterior	The original date of the courthouse construction was 1900 (P1, P3, P4, P5, P7, P8, P9, P11). The annex (attached to the courthouse) was constructed in 1976. The approximate size of the courthouse was not known, but it is three stories with basement, and towers. The annex attached to the courthouse is in very good shape, with no major problems reported (P23, P26). This building is on the Historical Register.	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. We recommend cleaning and restoring the façade of the original structure and brining the entire building up to code.
Exterior Walls	The foundation of the annex is concrete and the courthouse is stone. The walls of the annex is split faced block and the courthouse is brick. There is no visible settlement of the foundations. The walls of the courthouse building are in poor condition, with some cracks in the walls located on the back and right sides of the building. There is also some evidence of water damage and pealing paint on the front of the courthouse, (P7, P8, P9). The exterior walls of the annex show evidence of cracking in the stairway (P52, P53, P54).	Clean and restore the old courthouse and repair the cracks. Perform an engineering study of the cracks in the stairwell Remove the paint from the masonry.	$35,000 $3,000 $10,000
Roof	The roof on the courthouse is a pitched slope with shingles. It was replaced more than ten years ago ( P11). The annex roof is rubber membrane with a low slope and is good condition. They stated that they are pursuing bid contracts for the replacement of the courthouse and jail roofs because of their poor condition.	Replace the roof of the courthouse with period appropriate shingles.	$75,000
Windows and Doors	The windows throughout the annex are in very good condition, they are fixed, double pane, aluminum frame windows, (P61, P62). Some of the courthouses windows are new double pane, aluminum frame windows, in very good condition, (P1, P13). The other windows are wood frame, single pain, double sash in very poor condition with missing and damaged caulking. The main door for the courthouse is aluminum frame with single pane glass. The other door is a steel door with a window, (P17, P44). The doors for the annex are aluminum frame with single pane glass, In good shape (P21).	Replace the windows in the courthouse with historic sashes. Replace a door in the courthouse.	$75,000 $1,500
Fire Safety	The courthouse and annex contained exit signs, which were all visible and in the proper areas for maximum visibility. The courthouse and annex do not have sprinklers. The fire alarm annunciator panel for the courthouse and annex is located at the front entrance to the annex and was in proper working order. There are two enclosed fire exit staircases in the annex, which exit through a properly marked exit route. The main staircases in the courthouse are open to the second floor and both exit to the first floor where an outside exit is easily accessible, (P48, P49). The staircase into the records office has exits available to the outside from the records room itself, (P47). One of the two emergency only exit doors located in the records room is blocked by a steel door that would not allow anyone to exit if a fire would take place. The only room that is able to hold fifty or more people has two properly marked exits and panic hardware on the doors, (P50, P51). None of the exits for the annex and courthouse have panic hardware on the doors except in the courtroom. Both buildings have horns, strobes and fire detection equipment located in the proper areas of the room, halls, stairs, and exit doors.	Enclose the top of the stairs on either side the second floor with fire wall and fire doors. Install a sprinkler system throughout the building.	$2500 $130,000
ADA	The courthouse Annex building has a parking space in the street in front of the building with a curb cut in the sidewalk directly beside the parking space (P18). The front entry is accessible from the sidewalk and has a powered entry door (P20, P21). The annex has an elevator and the old courthouse is accessible from the attached annex building. There are accessible restrooms on the first (P28, P29) and second floor (P39). These rooms appear to be compliant but lack insulation on the hot water and drain lines. The doors throughout the building do not have lever handles or ADA compliant signage. The courtroom does not have a wheelchair lift on the witness stand.	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. Insulate waterlines and drain lines Install new lever handles Install new signage Install witness stand/Judges bench lift.	$3,000 $100 $7,500 $1,200 $18,000
Structure	There is some stair-step cracking in the back staircase of the annex, (P52, P53, P54). In addition, there is some water damage in the staircase area leading into the records basement, (P45, P46).	See note above on exterior walls.
Security	There is closed circuit television in both the annex and courthouse. There were no metal detectors located in either building. No guards were present at either location.	This facility should have 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. The family court judges should be provided with a duress alarm. The adult and juvenile probation officers should have duress alarms installed at their desks and at the receptionist’s desk. Duress alarms should be installed beneath the prosecuting attorney’s desk, beneath the receptionist’s desk, and beneath the table in the conference room. Two duress alarms should be installed, one beneath the front counter and one beneath an office desk. Duress alarms should be installed beneath the magistrates’ desks 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. All light switches should be replaced with key-controlled switches, and breaker boxes should be locked. A phone line should be installed to provide the court and the staff with outside communication in case of power failure. Window glass tinting should be applied to eliminate outside view through the windows in the courtroom and jury room. The tint should be dark enough to prevent someone from viewing the occupants during nighttime hours. 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 $3,600 $30,000 $3,000 $1,500 $600 $1,200
Electrical	The main electrical service for the annex and courthouse comes into the mechanical room and into a Westinghouse service box, 3 phase / 4 wire, 120/240 V, 800 A main, which is in very good condition. The communications for the annex and courthouse are housed in the mechanical / electrical room of the annex and are in good condition. The room is being used for storage, which poses a fire hazard. These items should be removed. The interior lighting of each building for the rooms is adequate, but in the hallways of the courthouse and the stairwells of the annex, the lighting is very poor (P56).	We recommend that the lighting situation in the courthouse halls and annex stairwells be improved with more fixtures.	$6000
Mechanical	The annex and the courthouse are both serviced by a Burnham Gas Fired boiler, model #606, (P72). There is one circulating pump (mfg. Unknown), model #4QC56B17D84BP. A Trane interior air handler in the annex, model TWE060A300BB, with a Trane condenser located just outside the mechanical room, handles cooling. There is one fan coil located in each room of the annex but it was stated that they might not be in operation any longer. All cooling in the courthouse was handled by window units.	We recommend a central air handling system be installed in the courthouse for aesthetics and energy efficiency.	$ 200,000
Work Safety	No problems were noted.
Space requirements	They would like to renovate the jail in three years when the new regional jail is completed and they will no longer house prisoners.	We recommend the jail be renovated for storage.
Subtotal			$655,200
Soft Costs	Professional fees, permits, surveys, and studies	20% of total	$131,040
Total Cost			$786,240

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