The Knox County Building Committee approved allowing an architectural firm to draw up plans for further renovation of the courthouse. But Knox County Board Chairman Brian Friedrich says the actual construction is probably at least five years away.
Friedrich says the committee approved paying $108,000 dollars to consultants to estimate designs for plumbing and electricity.
“We won’t start it until we get this back from Klingers (Klinger & Associates),” Friedrich says. “That might be six months, a year, by the time they get all this done.” We’re in no hurry to get it done because we don’t have the money to do it anyway. We just need to get this plan set forth and get started on it.”
Friedrich says the courthouse needs all new plumbing and electricity from the basement to the top floor.
It’ll be paid for using money collected from landfill fees, which will add up to $90,000 a year.
But he says the total cost of the work will likely be around $600,000 dollars to $800,000 dollars.
Friedrich says the county will have to save for years to get the project done.
The county board chairman also says he believes the roof of the Knox County Jail needs to be repaired and maybe replaced down the road.
The sheriff’s office and jail has been flooding and causing internal damage to the carpets and the walls.
Sheriff Dave Clague has said it was due to improperly installed windows.
Friedrich says he hopes to get a cost estimate on the carpets and drywall in the next couple months so work can start.
