The Montgomery County Courthouse Annex project moved forward Monday as the Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to begin financing the project.
The resolution officially declared the need for the annex, which will house most county offices and create more space for public records. Under a public-private partnership, Indianapolis-based Envoy Construction Services has proposed renovating the former Williamsburg Health Care building on Lafayette Road into the offices.
“This is the first step only. We would ask you pass this now so that we can move forward with the financing side,” county attorney Dan Taylor told commissioners, who convened in their regular courthouse chambers for the first time since before the public health emergency.
Offices on the first floor of the courthouse and in the South Boulevard County Building are slated to move into the annex, leaving the courthouse for the judges and their staffs. The County Council has pledged support for funding the project.
The county plans to use existing revenue for the project, until the annex is added to the tax rolls after the Montgomery County Jail bond expires in 2024.
In other business, commissioners approved additional work on bridge scouring and road paving projects.
County engineer Jim Peck requested approval of a $6,620 quote to remove and re-pour the concrete approach slab for the bridge over Lye Creek on C.R. 500N. The slab has dropped another inch, Peck said.
Working with Rieth-Riley Construction, the company scouring the bridge, crews will raise the slab to its original elevation and replace about 30 feet of asphalt, along with additional milling and transition work.
The original contract for the project totaled $202,000.
Peck also requested using $75,953 in highway department funds to temporarily smooth out a stretch of C.R. 100W that was left out of a $1.1 million Community Crossings paving project. The county plans to later have the section paved after replacing a bridge in the area.
Commissioners approved a shortened scope of the work after questioning spending additional money on the portion of the road that will be under construction during the bridge project.
The commissioners also:
• Approved the last of two measures required to withdraw the county from the West Central Solid Waste District. The district’s board of directors and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management will now be formally notified of the process. The county plans to set up its own district to cut down on costs for solid waste management.
• Introduced an ordinance to add solar farm regulations to the county’s zoning code. A public hearing is set for the commissioners’ July 27 meeting.
• Approved a proclamation declaring July 20 as “Jeff McClaskey Day” in Montgomery County. McClaskey, who was active in Montgomery County 4-H, died in April.
