After years of delays, county officials have signed a $3.28 million contract to allow the year-long renovation of the 150-year-old Bartholomew County Courthouse to begin.
In addition to the monetary agreement with Dunlap & Co., the Bartholomew County Commissioners have also authorized the contractor to proceed, with all work scheduled to be completed prior to May 2025.
Some protective tunneling will eventually be installed for the safety of courthouse workers and visitors, but county maintenance supervisor Rick Trimpe said crews will attempt to confine their activities to one floor at a time.
“It will be very disruptive,” commissioner chairman Larry Kleinhenz said. “We have worked diligently with officials in the courthouse to accommodate them.”
Much of this work was done at the courthouse roughly 30 years ago, county commissioner Carl Lienhoop said. A decision was make to complete all pending projects over the next 14 months, rather than create disruptions every three to four years, Lienhoop said.
Stainless steel piping will replace the carbon-fiber metal piping connected to boilers and chillers that control heating and air-conditioning, Trimpe said.
Whenever possible, welding will be used in the pipe installation, rather than press fittings, to reduce the chances of a leaking joint, project consultant Tony Akles of Strand & Associates said. Workers will also be updating second and third-floor bathrooms, Trimpe said.
Current pricing indicates it will cost $100,775 to replace 72,000 feet of outdated data cables hidden with the pipes behind the plaster walls. The current cables are not capable of handling the state-of-the-art technology required at the courthouse, county IT director Scott Mayes said.
About $33,300 has been set aside to replace all carpeting in the building. In order to save money, both county workers and an outside contractor will handle the actual installation, Trimpe said.
Other projects include the refurbishing of a third-floor chandelier installed when the courthouse was completed in 1874. Outside, crews will install red, green and blue LED exterior decorative lights, as well as replace all conventional outdoor floodlights. The cost is estimated at $46,700.
Once the project is completed in 2025, other improvements such as window and door replacements will be considered on an annual basis, the commissioners said.
The Bartholomew County Council authorized $2 million from the county’s general fund in the 2023 budget, while the remainder will be provided through the federal American Rescue Plan, Kleinhenz said.
