Logan County Courthouse dome cupola to remain in place for restoration process; bid process underway

 

[October 07, 2021] 

At the Regular Logan County Board meeting in September, the board heard updates on the courthouse restoration plans.

The board approved Building and Grounds Committee Chairman David Blankenship’s motion to allow Bill Walter of MRTS to go out for bid on courthouse dome restoration subject to approval from the state’s attorney.

Before the board voted, Walter gave an update on plans for the cupola repair. His original thought was to assess the cupola on the inside and outside and possibly remove it from the dome. They would have then made repairs or replications either on the ground or at a site other than the courthouse.

From a structural standpoint, Walter said the cupola is in very good shape. Before Walter examined the cupola, he figured the structural integrity would be more compromised and need more repairs.

As Walter examined the cupola, he discovered the cupola’s steel ribs are attached to the dome’s steel structure. Walter said they are very tight and in very good condition. The steel itself is also in good condition with virtually no corrosion. The gunnite, which is the spray applied concrete on the interior is in relatively good shape.

Walter said the only part that suffered dramatically was the copper skin. Well-worn areas of the copper skin had been overlaid with additional copper. Then in the 1970s, everything was coated with fiberglass.

When the fiberglass and some of the duplicitous copper was removed, Walter said they found the original copper underneath. Some of the copper is in reasonably good condition considering its age. However, Walter said it is in a condition that needs significant attention and repairs or replacement.

If the structural integrity of the cupola had been more compromised, Walter said it would have been easier to remove the cupola to restore it. In his recent evaluation, Walter determined it is better to leave the cupola in place to restore it. He said removing the cupola for repairs and then putting it back would do more damage to the long-term structural integrity.

Therefore, Walter is putting together a scope of work to conduct the restoration of the cupola in place.

Once the scope of work is done, Walter said he would go out for bids and get them from multiple contractors. He will have these bids reviewed by Logan County State’s Attorney Brad Hauge, the Tech Committee, and the Building and Grounds Committee. Walter will then present the bids to the board for review. He hopes to have contractors working on the cupola in a few weeks.

Because of scaffolding limitations, Walter said work on the cupola must be completed before they start work on the rest of the dome.
 

When the cupola is done, they will take the scaffolding around the cupola down. They will then put a canopy on top of the cupola and encapsulate the rest of the dome scaffolding.

Walter has been working with the scaffolding company on financing, so they do not charge more rent during the work. For several reasons, Walter said the scaffolding company has offered to do what they can to help stave off costs.

Material cost fluctuations and labor availability are an ongoing concern. Walter said contractors worth their salt are very busy.

As a result, Blankenship, Davenport, Hauge and Walter are developing and expanding specification for timelines to deal with the end of the project. They are setting possible penalty parameters. Walter wants everyone to be aware of what is going on.

As Walter works with Blankenship, Davenport and Hauge on that portion of the specifications, they are trying to be fair yet tight. Walter said that way contractors will be aware of the timeline.

One of the most significant portions of the specifications for timelines is ramping up communication. Walter said quicker communication will help them know immediately when there are problems with labor or material availability.

These problems can then be dealt with right away instead of being two to four weeks out before they find out critical information. Walter said they can then make necessary choices. He wanted to downplay the negative ramifications of these timeline specifications for the project. If they do the job right when developing those specifications, Walter said it will remain insignificant as they hope it will be.

After Walter’s updates, Nelson had instead of some questions and concerns related to leaks in the dome. He asked if there are still some leaks and whether the dome would be sealed before inclement weather. Nelson also wanted to know if it would be more beneficial to start with sealing work and how the dome would be sealed.

Though Walter said there are concerns and are still some leaks, they have been working to mitigate the number of leaks. When a leak is found, Walter said individuals up in the dome strategically seal it or place tarps in various places.

There are about six leaks and Walter said all of them are being captured so the leaks do not reach the third floor.

Since there are still a few leaks, Nelson asked if there was any way to seal off the rest of the leaks.

Some leaks are products of failing fiberglass, so Walter said it is better and more practical to capture them for now. Finding the leaks is the chore.
 

Because they are working on the external dome, Nelson asked whether it would be more beneficial to work on sealing the dome before doing any external work.

Once the cupola is restored in the next several weeks, it will be encapsulated. Before winter, Walter said the whole dome would be encapsulated.

October update

The Building and Grounds Committee heard updates on Tuesday, October 5.

Walter said he is expecting to get three proposals from contractors for work on the cupola. Walter has talked to another contractor who is interested, and they plan to have further discussion. That contractor may be submitting a bid as well.

Once Walter receives the bids, he will give them to Logan County State’s Attorney Brad Hauge for review. In the next seven business days, Walter hopes to have all the information together.

The tentative plan is to get the same contractor for work on both the cupola and dome. Walter said the contractor needs to have the capacity to perform work on the dome. If for some reason during the work on the cupola the contractor shows himself not to be to the county’s liking, Walter said they could use a different contractor for the dome.

The Construction Technical Committee is meeting soon. Blankenship said they will be looking over final dome and cupola specifications.

At the Construction Technical Committee, Walter said they would also be looking at the specifications and prints for the performance contract. These specifications will include the HVAC system.

The specifications will be electronic, and Walter said they would be available in the board office. Anyone who wants to look at the specifications and review what is being put together for the project will be able.

Members of the Construction Technical Committee will have three to four days to review these documents. Comments and suggestions from the committee will be shared with CTS. CTS will then formulate the final plans and specifications, which will be sent to Hauge for review.

Because the Tech Committee looks strictly at the technical aspects, Blankenship said, if there are design related issues that come up he would look for other input.

In upcoming weeks, Walter hopes to bring forward more information for the County Board to review and suggestions.

The drop boxes outside the Courthouse have been installed but Blankenship said they are waiting to get stone top caps. Board Administrative Assistant Kate Newman will be ordering plaques to cover the part on the boxes that says U.S. Postal Service. In addition, Newman will order decals for the drop boxes to show what payments can be placed in them.

More updates and schedules will be shared with the Logan County Board soon.

[Angela Reiners]