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Monday, January 29, 2007

Ind. Courts - Monroe County Courthouse needs new roof

James Boyd of the Bloomington Herald Times (not available online) reports today:

For the first time in several generations, the Monroe County Courthouse dome will look shiny again within the next few months. But it won’t last forever.

Repairs to the 99-year-old dome are now under way, and are expected to be finished up sometime by early summer.

“It’s an exciting project,” County Commissioners Executive Director Jane Marie Lind said. And, she said, one that has to be done. “We’re not doing it because (the dome) is going on 100 years old; we’re doing it out of necessity.”

The roof has begun springing a few leaks over the past few years. “Leak, leak, leak, leak, leak,” Lind said. “We can’t afford enough buckets!”

The county can afford the $384,220 the entire project is expected to cost. * * *

“The fact that we’re doing the dome is important to us,” Jeff Lyman, a project manager for Midwest Maintenance said. “We’ve been lucky enough to work (at the courthouse) about four times, so this place means a lot to us and our involvement with the county.” The Piqua, Ohio-based firm began setting up for construction last week.

Lyman said the ornament on top of the dome will be removed within the next few weeks, and then, the green patina dome will be taken off, panel by panel. “We’ll be putting on a rubberized membrane to keep it watertight,” he said. The move is necessary to protect not only the roof, but the things it covers. “There’s some really pretty artwork on the inside,” Lyman said. * * *

Lyman said it’s too hard to tell how long the copper finish will last.

“It’ll start to turn (patina green) within the first year,” Lyman said. “It’ll dull down and won’t be as bright. For a lot of people, the brightness is what draws their attention, but it doesn’t really last. Some like it, some don’t. Either way, it’ll start to turn in about a year.”

Posted by Marcia Oddi on January 29, 2007 03:27 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts