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Condition of Knox County Courthouse Grabs Headlines in 2008
Numerous problems with the Knox County Courthouse and what to do about them are major issues facing county officials now and in the foreseeable future.

The results of a study on the condition of the courthouse by the Iowa based firm Ament that was released in August painted a gloomy picture of the structure that was built between 1882 and 1884.

Architect Allen Varney with Ament told the Knox County Board on August 27th that the courthouse has several structural and public safety issues, lacks space and doesn't provide enough access to disabled people.

"The hallways are extra wide, there's a lot of extra space where you don't need it and not enough space where you do need it within this facility," said Varney.

He says the whole function of the county within the Knox County Courthouse has changed over the years. "Hence the actual use of this is somewhat less efficient."

Varney proposed remodeling the courthouse and adding on six-thousand square feet, an option that would cost up to $16-million. Other options laid out included simply remodeling the courthouse for about $8-million or moving everything from the courthouse into another building at a cost of around $11-million.

The county board held a public forum in early October and discussed the three options for the courthouse, but no solution to address the problem has been arrived at yet.

Several board members, including new board president Greg Bacon, said the courthouse is the most pressing issue facing the county.

12 31 08 by Newsroom
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