The Marion County Board Tuesday night approved another $2.5-million in remodeling and improvements to county buildings.
Like the original $4.6-million list of projects approved in October, most of the additional improvements are being made possible by federal COVID-19 relief money.
Phase two improvements include a complete remodeling of the Public Service Building, renovation of the treasurer’s office on the first floor of the courthouse, and the ESDA office at the fairgrounds.
Building Committee Chair Dr. Creighton Engel explains the work planned at the public service building.
“The walls of the public service building were actually temporary walls. They were never studded in. They were moveable walls. They were supposed to be replaced someplace down the road, but they never were. So now, what we are proposing is actually making those walls permanent, putting in steel studs, drywall, redoing the carpeting which is totally worn out, and improving the bathrooms as well. Basically, it is a remodel of the public service building.”
Engel says the projects also include renovation of the public bathrooms on the first and third floor of the courthouse as well as at the public service building and ESDA building.
“We are going to basically put in modern bathrooms, new fixtures, plumbing, partitions, this type of thing, basically making it up to specs just like if you were putting in a new bathroom,” said Engel.
Money is also included for the interior of the elevators at the courthouse and public service building.
The work will be overseen by the county’s building management company AMERESCO which provides a cost guarantee on the work.
