The Lincoln County-Brookhaven Government Complex has not beenwashed in years before this week, leaving places where the elementshave stained and marked the building high above where normalstepladders can reach.

But this week, the courthouse is getting a bath. Several LincolnCounty and state inmates are using a rented bucket truck to get tothose hard-to-reach places. The inside job comes at a savings tothe county since a high-priced professional crew did not have to behired, said Lincoln County Chancery Clerk Tillmon Bishop.

“Where the cost is, is the rental of the extension boom, and wepurchased a high-pressure washer, and also the Clorox they’reusing,” Bishop said. “But it needed it. It’s really past due andshould have been done last year, but our inmates have been so busywith our focus on litter around the county.”

The crews will be working all week to give the courthouse asqueaky clean new appearance. The scrub-down will include windows,exterior and the abutments at the top of the building.

“A lot of people told us we have a building that costs a lot ofmoney, and we need to keep it looking better than that,” Bishopsaid. “It’s good that we can do it in such an inexpensive way.”

The inmates are using a pressurized wash that is a simplemixture of bleach and water.

Sheriff Steve Rushing said algae and other dirt have darkenedand stained the light-colored structures on the top of thecourthouse. He said the bleach is used because it’s biodegradableand safe for both the environment and where the workers areconcerned.

The crews, which are made up of trustys chosen for theirbackground in construction or mechanics, will work through themiddle of the upcoming week, Rushing said, depending on weatherconditions.

“We’re about halfway done with the front side and we’ll do theentrance over the weekend,” Rushing said, adding that on some daysthere are two crews running in order to speed up the process.

State inmates are a good option to have when projects like thewashing of the courthouse arise, officials said.

“It’s been needing it, and we’ve been trying to clean up aroundthe courthouse anyway,” Rushing said. “This is at no cost to thesheriff’s department, so we’re glad to do it. We’re glad to providethe labor.”

Bishop said not only will the bright, clean building be a sightfor sore eyes, it will also be something to take pride in.

“People will justifiably let me know that the building shouldlook better than it does, and of course I know that, but until nowit’s been a timing issue.,” Bishop said. “It’s a nice building, butwe can’t be nearly as proud of it when it’s so dirty. If you have agovernment complex, you want it to look good.”