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Component |
Current Status |
Recommendations |
Cost |
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General Exterior |
The date of original construction for the building was between 1900-1902. The courthouse is composed of two floors, a large basement, an attic, and a bell tower (P21, P23, P25, P26) The Jail/Sheriffs office was an addition onto the right side of the courthouse in 1978 (P24). The jail and Sheriffs offices are only accessible from the inside of the courthouse through a second floor office. |
This is a beautiful old courthouse building but suffers from many serious problems. The foundation is showing signs of settling, the first floor slab is structurally unstable, and the basement is subject to flooding. |
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Exterior Walls |
The foundation looks to be of concrete and/or stone. There is much evidence of settlement, and some water damage on interior and exterior of the building (P28, P30, P32, P33, P34, P37, P39). The stairs on the left side of the building have old and missing mortar and some steps are loose (P22, P89). The exterior of the building is composed of some bricks, but what is visible from the outside is mainly of stone. There is green coloring from moss, mold, and/or other types of water damage on some of the stone around drainpipes and also on other areas stone. |
There is major structural damage caused by flooding, the foundation is settling as evidenced by major cracks in the exterior walls. The stone exterior is spalling, water damaged, and is covered with moss, and mold. |
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Roof |
The roof is pitched and has been repaired on occasions where there have been problems. The most recent repair/replacement was believed to have been in 1998. The roof has portions of tile and also asphalt shingles. It appears to be in good condition (P97, P101). |
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Windows and Doors |
The age of the windows is not known, however they do not all look to be original (P37, P38). They are mostly single pane wooden. There is no caulking around them. Some of the wood is rotting and in poor condition. The doors are aluminum/glass with weather-stripping/threshold, dead bolt lock functioning, and some panic hardware (P52). The caulking around the doors is poor or missing. |
The windows are in poor shape and they all need replaced with historic sash. The exterior of the windows the frames need covered need repaired or replaced and recaulked. |
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Fire Safety |
There is no fire alarm system or sprinklers. Some exit lights contain burnt out bulbs. The building has some emergency lights and fire extinguishers (but many were old or expired). The stairs are open to the corridor and contain broken or uneven steps and landings. There was storage under and around the stairways. |
The building does not meet fire code and it would be difficult and expensive to bring is into compliance. |
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Compliance |
ADA Compliance has not been attempted because of cost constraints. The commission has been threatened with a lawsuit at least once and settled out of court. There is an accessible parking space the left side of the building, however there is not curb cut to get on the sidewalk (P31). There is no accessible entry of any kind to come into or out of the building. There are restrooms in the basement and on the second
floor, do not meet any |
A recent report indicated that it would take at least
$600,000 to bring the building into |
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Structure
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The structure has stonewalls and
concrete floors. There is ample evidence that the foundation is settling
causing major cracks in the exterior walls. The first floor slab is
collapsing and a sixteen square foot section of it fell into the basement (P5, P6). Emergency
measures were taken to temporarily support the floor (P73,
P74). The rear of the
building faces the The first and second floors have numerous cracks and water damage to the ceilings from many past problems (P9, P87). There are cracks found in several places of many walls and around stairways leading from the first to second floor (P68, P82). The attic is used as much as the basement for the storage of records and looks to be loaded beyond its designed capacity (P15, P16). The part used is on wooden rafters, and on the left side of the attic. Pigeons have plagued the inside of the clock tower for years. The front portico ceiling is caving in (P97); temporary measures have been taken to prevent pieces of it from falling onto those passing in and out of the building. |
A structural report by Atlantic Engineering Services dated Oct. 2001. Indicated that the concrete used to support the first floor was of inferior strength and recommended that the first floor be replaced ether in whole or part. |
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Security |
The building is monitored inside and out by a CCTV system. The Judges bench has ballistic material and a duress button. |
The facility should have an entry-level screening using a walk-through metal detector and an x-ray machine. All perimeter exit doors should be secured by installing an audible alarm, magnetic contacts, and a crash bar. |
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Electrical |
The electrical service entry is on the second floor. It has a 600A capacity Square D panel each floor is serviced by a 225A Square D sub panel. The service seams adequate for the size of the building. |
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Mechanical |
The building is heated by two 6 year old Weil McLain boilers (P1, P47, P66) feeding the Base board heaters and some original steam. Air conditioning is provided in some areas by three small units (P90, P91, P92). |
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Work Safety |
The structure is a constant hazard to the occupants of the building. |
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Space requirements |
The building is not structurally sound, does not conform
to current |
We recommend that the courthouse be repaired to make it structurally safe but it be used only for non-essential court functions. A new Judicial building should be located away from the flood prone area and built to current court standards and laws. |
$2,000,000 $7,250,000 |
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Subtotal |
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$9,250,000 |
|
Soft Costs |
Professional fees, permits, surveys and studies |
20% |
$1,850,000 |
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Total |
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$11,100,000 |