Courthouse portico project may expand to include doors
Barbara S. Miller/Observer-Reporter
Justin Welsh, right, Washington County director of buildings and grounds, is framed by a set of doors in mid-January just before granite slabs were lifted from the courthouse portico.
Barbara S. Miller/Observer-Reporter
A bird’s-eye view shows the portico project Feb. 6 from inside the second floor of the courthouse.
Six massive mahogany exterior doors have served the Washington County Courthouse for 120 years, but as part of an upgrade of the portico, repairs may be in order.
All are 10 feet tall, four feet wide and three inches thick. Rot at the bottom has been detected, and once it is fixed, the hardwood should be protected with a brass kick plate, according to Justin Welsh, director of buildings and grounds for the county, who presented a list of other parts of the doors and jambs that need attention.
The center pair of the original doors are the ones that have gotten a workout since courthouse security concerns closed most of the building’s multiple entrances.
Three front portals lead to a small vestibule and sets of interior doors. Welsh said some time ago, the interior doors – which are also mahogany – were encased in leather.
Welsh, through the Washington County purchasing department, requested that the commissioners seek proposals for door repair.
Doors facing West Cherry Avenue and West Beau Street are also in need of repair plus the addition of “crash bars” if they need to be used as emergency exits.
Commission Chairwoman Diana Irey Vaughan, at an agenda-setting session Wednesday, asked that it first be determined if the project could be funded through a preservation grant because of the historic nature of the courthouse. Replacement of windows in the courthouse was ineligible for such a grant because the windows being removed were not original.
The cost of the portico project plus door repairs is unknown at this point because door rehab has not yet been advertised for bid.
“We expect a rather large energy savings on the windows alone,” said county purchasing director Randy Vankirk.
The purchasing director requested an additional $60,653 for Cleveland Marble Mosaic Co. for slab removal and resetting, increasing the total amount of the contract to $405,578.
The county is paying for the project with money it receives through Act 13 revenues from unconventional natural gas wells.
Waterproofing, drainage, excavation and removal of soft soils within a crawl space and construction of a concrete wall at the perimeter of the stairs are among the jobs that have added to the cost.
Stabilization of the portico is to continue Thursday morning, when a subcontractor to Cleveland Marble Mosaic begins pumping grout down a chute.
Warden Edward Strawn, at a meeting of the county prison board Wednesday, also asked that the county advertise for bids to replace the 24-year-old roof of the county jail.
Irey Vaughan placed that on hold, saying she needs to learn more about any warranty dating back to the construction of the jail by the Washington County Authority.