The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners is ordering an engineering study of the courthouse, which will offer ideas on using the space being vacated by offices leaving for the new county annex.
The study, which is due by late December, will review and prioritize repair and renovation needs for the 145-year-old building. Engineers will also determine how much room is needed by the remaining departments and forecast space needs for the years 2025 and 2040.
“[The courthouse] is one of the key landmarks of the county,” said county administrator Tom Klein, who described the study as a proactive approach to maintaining the building.
Commissioners are set to approve an agreement Monday with Indianapolis-based engineering firm DLZ, which has done previous studies of the courthouse. Funding for the $8,700 assessment will come from the cumulative capital development fund.
Among the repair needs already identified is the building’s exterior walls. The roof may also need additional repair, Klein said. Crews performed gutter work earlier this year.
The study includes a conceptual plan and estimated construction costs.
“From initial discussions, it is understood the county realizes the courthouse has many needs once the annex project is completed,” DLZ vice president Laurie Johnson and principal architect Eric Ratts wrote to the commissioners in a proposal letter.
The study will be completed around the time the annex is expected to be finished. The government center, which is being built in the former Williamsburg Health Care building off Lafayette Road, will consolidate offices on the courthouse’s first floor and South Boulevard County Building.
Employees are slated to move in by early next year.
