Courthouse work draws to a close
WAYNESBURG – A five-month project to repair and spruce up the Greene County Courthouse drew pretty much to a close this past week with the reopening of the main courtroom and completion of exterior work on the building’s clock tower.
President Judge William Nalitz was moved back into Courtroom No. 1 Tuesday, after holding court several months in the law library on the third floor of the new addition, and Friday, workers completed caulking some gaps in the clock tower siding.
“The only thing left to do is a little painting on the outside, but we’re going to wait until the weather gets a little better to finish that,” said Jeff Marshall, county chief clerk.
The project had involved repairing the timbers between the ceiling and roof of the original section, updating the heating and ventilation system, installing a new sprinkler system and completing some interior and exterior painting,
“I think everybody is really happy with the way it turned out; everybody worked together and it’s been a really good project,” Marshall said.
The main part of the courthouse is 163 years old. The building was constructed in 1850 and opened in September 1851.
It was a problem with some of the timbers used in the original section above the main courtroom’s ceiling that led to the project’s inception.
Early last year, jurors in Nalitz’s courtroom noticed movement in the ceiling directly above the judge’s bench. Maintenance employees investigated and found some of the large wood beams had separated at their joints.
An engineer was brought in and temporary emergency repairs were made to serve until a permanent solution was devised. It was believed the separation was caused by damage to the wood beams from water that had leaked through the roof.
The permanent solution devised by the engineer involved bolting steel beams to the old wood beams to reinforce them so they won’t separate again.
In September, the commissioners awarded a contract to make the repairs to Allegheny Restoration and Builder Inc. of Morgantown, W.Va., in the amount of $394,566.
A contract also was awarded for $96,800 to update the sprinkler system. The old system had leaked several times in the last 10 years, after water in the sprinkler lines froze and broke the pipes or fittings. One major leak in January 2009 caused extensive damage to the courtroom and offices below it.
The old sprinkler system was replaced with a dry-pipe system that fills with water only when heat activates the system.
A third contract also was awarded to make needed updates to the courthouse heating and air conditioning system. Mountain Air Sheet Metal of Cross Lanes, W.Va., was awarded the contract in the amount of $51,800.
Work began in October and proceeded fairly smoothly and within budget. Change orders have been approved, including one to paint the entire main courtroom, but overall, change orders are expected to total less than 10 percent of the entire project costs, Marshall said.
The last major project completed at the courthouse was a renovation in 1997. Costing about $4 million, it included razing the old jail and a portion of the old sheriff’s residence to make room for elevators, public restrooms, a second courtroom, judge’s chambers, law library and other offices.