The Marion County Board has approved changes in courthouse bathroom renovation plans to allow for a large first-floor men’s bathroom while shrinking the size of the former county board room.
Building Committee Chair Dr. Creighton Engel saw the need for additional space to allow for a better functioning bathroom.
“We are going to add 7.5 feet of width to the men’s bathroom and be roughly the same depth. That will leave the old board room, the modified room, will be 20×22 feet. We are planning to have a multi-purpose meeting room. Installing some media for doing presentations but also giving room for the officeholders to have meetings and sometimes juvenile court.”
Engel says the meeting room will still be a good size with the change.
The board’s construction management firm, Ameresco, doesn’t expect a significant cost increase since the change would only impact one internal wall.
The first-floor renovation will also include new women’s bathroom facilities. Both men’s and women’s bathroom facilities will come into ADA compliance.
Other first-floor work will include renovation and layout changes for the Marion County Treasurer’s office.
Work could begin as soon as May. Circuit Clerk Tiffany Schicker requested as much notice as possible before construction begins so Jury Trials and some other court cases can be moved to avoid a noise issue.
Engel says the outside limestone walls of the courthouse will also be tuck pointed this spring and summer as part of a separate bid award made last year by the county board.
