Allen County Courthouse Repairs

An article in Friday’s Journal Gazette by Amanda Iacone highlights some of the repairs need to the Allen County Courthouse.  I have blogged about the bird issue before, in fact January 25th 2008.  Anyone who has spent time in the downtown area knows first-hand the flocks of birds that gather ’round the courthouse and more importantly, what they leave behind.  One thing the article doesn’t mention, which I would be curious to find out, is if there are plans to install anti-flocking measures on the courthouse.  If not, the problem will only be back again as every year, more and more birds seem to gather.  These measures can be controversial and stir up the environmentalists, but protection is needed.  The Lincoln Tower employs a system that broadcasts periodic Falcon cries.  When the system first went in, several phone calls a week were directed to the property manager about trapped birds at the Tower.  Whatever the answer, I’m surprised the issue was not addressed.

Selected quotes from the article:

Repairing the aging limestone and granite that form the Allen County Courthouse could cost as much as $1.4 million.

[…] Repairing the masonry and terra cotta between Lady Liberty and the lower roof will cost an estimated $410,000. A second phase to repair and clean the limestone from the cornice down will cost $725,000, and repairing and cleaning the granite will cost about $50,000. Waterproofing the underground tunnel that connects the City-County Building to the Courthouse beneath the north-side steps could cost an additional $125,000.

[…] An inspection of the exterior of the 107-year-old building revealed it is in no worse shape than a building its age should be. But water is leaking into the building, and Courthouse watchdogs don’t want to risk damaging the $8.6 million worth of repairs and renovations already completed inside, said Madelane Elston, president of the preservation trust board.

[…] Previous repairs to the mortar between the large limestone slabs damaged the stone. The county tapped masonry experts to help decide what type of mortar should be used this time, and officials didn’t want to approach the council for money until they had all the information needed to go to bid, Elston said.

 

The commissioners set aside $256,000 for the project. But most of that money has been spent on the study and related engineering. The remainder was used to buy voting machines, commissioners’ spokesman Mike Green said.

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