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County looking to clean up Courthouse

Wed, 12/02/2020 - 5:00 am

Commissioners are looking at the cost of washing and cleaning up the outside of the courthouse.

Daniel Barker with Great American Power Wash out of Fort Worth, said there was several ways to do this without damaging the stone or changing the color.

Some of the cleaner would actually bond to the stone and made it stronger and harder to penetrate in the future. Buildings should be cleaned every year or two. The cleaning, water sealing and consolidation of the pair can run anywhere from $45,000 to $79,000, Barker explained.

County Judge Keith Umphress said getting the courthouse cleaned regularly is something he wants to see done on a regular basis to help with the appearance of the downtown square. Barker said it can be done anytime of the year but he also wanted to try several test spots around the building to check for staining.

The whole process should take about three to five weeks once work begins, Barker said. Bids were to be accepted soon and needed to be done for any projects expected to cost more than $50,000.

In other news, the court approved entering into a new interlocal agreement between the county and the regional public defender office regarding the public defender for capital cases in the county. Umphress said being part of a consortium with other rural counties allows the counties to pool their monies collectively and not lose public respource in the case of a capital murder case, which vcould wipe the county out financially.

“We’ve been a member for a long time,” Umphress said. “It runs us around $1,700- $2,000 a year and the cost varies slightly but it’s well worth it.”

Commissioners approved having the Christmas Meal for County employees for Dec. 14 and the closing of all county offices for the Christmas holiday set for noon on Dec. 23.

Offices will then reopen Monday, Dec. 28.