Officials eye building repairs
Published 8:00 pm Friday, January 25, 2013
Recent rains have left judges and clerks at the Justice Court facility setting out buckets and covering equipment with garbage bags, prompting county supervisors to approve correctives.
At a meeting of the Lincoln County supervisors Tuesday, Chancery Clerk Tillmon Bishop told supervisors the roof is past the point of repair and a new one is merited.
Bishop estimated the cost of a new roof could run to approximately $18,000.
As of Friday morning, he’s received two quotes for the project and was awaiting a third.
Monies from the general fund will have to be used to cover repair costs, county administrator David Fields told supervisors.
Once the lowest quote is approved, Bishop hopes repair work can begin as soon as the weather allows.
“It can’t start soon enough,” the chancery clerk said.
Justice Court Judge Joe Portrey said the roof has been leaking since before he took office in January 2012.
“It’s leaking in several places,” Portrey said, going on to describe past roof repairs as now insufficient. “Patches on top of patches don’t keep the water out.”
Heavy rain – particularly during the recent weeks and last year during Hurricane Isaac – has caused some damage to equipment and records.
Justice Court Clerk Sharon Lofton said a few telephones and printers had to be replaced after suffering water damage.
“When we know it’s going to rain, we cover stuff up with garbage bags,” Lofton said.
In another room in the Justice Court complex, some old dockets got wet and some ceiling tiles in Judge Chris King’s office sustained enough water damage they fell loose, said Lofton.
Elsewhere in the building, there’s some visible water stains to the ceiling, Portrey said.
In a similar move, at their Tuesday meeting, supervisors approved repairs to the roof of the Boys and Girls Club building, estimated to run about $750.
The Boys and Girl Club utilizes a county building on Second Street, located behind the Lincoln County/Brookhaven Government Complex.
Depending on what repair company is awarded the Justice Court repairs, Bishop said work to the Boys and Girls Club may be done at the same time.