|
Logan County Courthouse
restoration update
[September 04, 2025]
In a recent update on the Logan
County Courthouse restoration, Project Manager Bill Walter of
Masonry Restoration Technologies & Services, LLC said they have
virtually completed the removal of existing membrane and copper on
the dome.
While the majority of the old copper has been replaced with new
copper, Walter said there is small amount of work that still needs
to be done at the lower portion of the dome.
This portion has not been done due to the structural beams needed to
support the steel scaffolding that penetrated the dome right at
those areas. Therefore, this part could not be completed until the
beams were taken out to know exactly what had been done. They made
ports of entry through the existing windows up there.
Restoric, the group who coincidentally has repaired the stained
glass, are looking to replicate the old windows at the base of the
dome, wood wise, when they put in the new ones. Walter said the
panels in between the wood will return to copper. There was
fiberglass previously applied to that copper as well.
Something Walter would also incorporate into this base dome work is
a window that opens to a makeshift stairway so maintenance can
easily access the roof of the courthouse. He said going up the
existing portal right now is virtually impossible if people have
anything in their hands. If maintenance has to carry up a bucket or
anything to do work on the roof he wants the roof to be easy to
access.
During the course of the project Walter said the old bell was placed
back on the roof. When it was removed a few years ago the original
plan was to keep the bell on the ground as a monument. However, he
said at one of the meetings they decided to put the bell back up and
make it operational once again.
Walter said there have been a
couple bids for the bell and the clock that will make both
operational. There was also a plan to add lights to the dome.
Recently, Walter talked to a guy from Ohio who had worked on the
bell seventeen years ago and there is a possibility this gentleman
will do the work. Bids have been accepted, but there is no contract
at this point.
The crib supporting the bell on the roof is in bad shape wood wise
and needs to be replaced. Walter said that wood penetrates the roof
and those penetrations are where a lot of leaks have come from. Most
leaks have been remedied with patching. When the crib is replaced
Walter said the roof will be repaired and there will be no
penetrations like what exists now.
The membrane roof itself is in pretty good shape from a rubber
composition standpoint. Walter said the specific EPDM, roof
material, industry has created a liquid material that can be applied
to this existing roof to rejuvinate the membrane of the roof. That
will give us a higher level of a sealed roof and a new warranty at
close to only twenty percent of the cost of replacement.
Walter and two others have looked at the roof and the general
consensus is that it does not need to be replaced. However, the roof
does need to be treated to preserve it. That is not part of the
restoration at this point.
The stained glass that was in the rotunda has been totally restored.
Walter said the stained glass panels are currently in storage inside
the courthouse and are ready to be reinstalled once the base of the
dome work is complete.
Some good news on the financial front
Walter said they found out that the county will be getting a refund
from the IRS.
Two years after the heating system was designed the Inflation
Reduction Act came into play. After significant digging along with
the designer Walter discovered that it involved a respectable refund
from the government if you spent money to install systems that were
significant energy conservers. When the heating system was designed
this style of refund had not been created yet.
Since Logan County installed a geothermal system that brought
significant energy savings Walter said the county is expecting to
get back a significant portion of the money they spent on putting in
the geothermal system.
Walter said the refund is likely to be over two million dollars.
With the new geothermal system
Walter said the courthouse is now climate controlled. The project
was phenomenal. When the geothermal system was installed 50 percent
of the courthouse grounds were torn up beyond recognition. Now that
the work is completed Walter said what they did to the grounds is
virtually imperceptible.
On the outside of the courthouse accent lights have been put up to
illuminate the facade. Typically Walter said the accent lighting is
white. The lighting layout and program was designed from a company
in St. Louis, Missouri. The program was designed with a limited
number of colors and spectrums to choose from. For instance, the
lighting was red on Valentine’s Day and green on St. Patrick’s Day.
[to top of second column] |
Logan County Courthouse from Kickapoo St. Photo by Angela Reiners
When West Lincoln Broadwell won a
championship Logan County Board Building and Grounds Chairman Lance
Conahan said there was a request for the lighting on the courthouse
to be changed to their school colors of blue and green.
Conahan said the board has adopted an outdoor lighting policy for
special events like Valentine’s Day, 4th of July, Christmas, etc.
During the completion of the remaining restoration work Walter said
there are plans to install lights on the courthouse roof that will
illuminate the dome.
Upcoming work
Once the IRS refund check is received Walter said he is looking at
completion of the restoration. Some of this work will include
replacing the interior tile flooring, cleaning and repairing the
exterior stone and replacing some of the concrete outside the
courthouse.
Restoration of Courtrooms on the second and third floor of the
building have been completed. It is noteworthy that these courtroom
renovations and restoration have been acclaimed statewide for its
sensitivity to security upgrades, mandated by the State, all the
while maintaining the historic character of the courthouse. Next up
is work on the first-floor restrooms, the entrance security layout
and the first-floor courtroom.
Conahan said they are relocating the entrance to the courthouse
while the first floor is being worked on.
During this time, the security booth will also be relocated so it is
closer to the entrance of the Kickapoo St side. Of note, there will
be access and security maintained for the outside elevator for all
those who needing to use it. These changes were to start Tuesday,
September 2nd.
Of additional interest, B&G Chairman Conahan said he and the Board
are implementing new procedures to improve the flow of communication
with department heads to make the transition with the new HVAC,
lighting and window systems smooth and effortless.
Some office spaces have had to be
shifted during the interior restoration. Conahan said the county
board office is now back on the first floor after being located
outside the building for a period of time.
In an effort to be transparent Conahan said they are trying to find
a dedicated space for the board to hold meetings where they could be
live streamed or televised. They are exploring to see if there is
space in the building for the board to have these meetings.
Conahan said the space would ideally have a desk where the board
could see everyone, a microphone so people attending could hear
everyone better, a television to allow people to participate
remotely and seating for the general public. The courtrooms would
just be used for meetings with an expected larger number of people
attending.
At times, it is hard for board members to hear people in the
audience or even one another. Conahan thinks when the board is
conducting county business they owe it to the taxpayers to be able
to hear what they are discussing. Giving them the ability to watch
meetings remotely would be similar to what the city of Lincoln does
during city council meetings.
Recognitions
During the recent swearing in ceremony of Judge Emily Young Conahan
said the courthouse was recognized by Chief Judge Costigan. The
county board was also recognized for their ongoing efforts to
restore the courthouse to its former glory.
In the roofing and copper industry, Walter said worldwide
recognition is given yearly to those elaborate and exquisite Copper
roof projects. The Durable Restoration Company, who restored the
majority of the courthouse dome, was awarded this copper industry’s
prestigious honor for their work. Walter said the County was
fortunate to have one of the top three coppersmiths in the world
working on the dome.
Conahan said the board appreciates everyone’s patience during the
work. The board is proud of the work that has been done on the
courthouse and wants to make the courthouse a focal point of the
downtown square.
[Angela Reiners] |
