Jackson County making repairs on its buildings

MURPHYSBORO -- Mold mediation for the county-owned Craine building in Jackson County is almost complete.

Tom Redmond, chairman of the Jackson County Building and Grounds committee, said Wednesday the mediation is finished and the county is waiting on final legal action to complete the transaction.

Redmond said the firm that completed the project, White and Borgognoni Architects in Carbondale, must have their legal counsel review the project to ensure it has been done to the legal standards of the project description. Once the architectural firm reviews the project, the county will review it and $26,640 will be issued to the contractor.

The county is also taking measures to fix problems within its own courthouse.

The heating and cooling systems in the courthouse have had problems and there have been reports of the air conditioning not working in some courtrooms this summer.

A plan approved in May by the county board is meant to fix major leaking and water damage in the courthouse basement. Also, the repairs will take care of all heating and cooling needs on the first and second floors, as well as the basement.

Jackson County Chairman John Rendleman said fixing leaks in the basement will allow the courthouse to have offices in the basement again, which will free up much needed space for other offices.

The total cost for the courthouse repair project will be about $764,000.

Rendleman said the finance committee authorized the expenditure of $200,000 from previously appropriated funds for capital improvements to help offset some of the cost.

He said the county will also seek a loan not to exceed $600,000 for the balance. The loan will be paid back by funds through the regular general revenue account and must be paid back within two years after taking out the loan.

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Jackson County making repairs on its buildings