Overton County Commissioners approved Monday night to repair a wall at the county justice center through a partnership with TCAT Livingston.
Overton County Sheriff John Garrett said the section is part of the building that once housed the National Guard armory. He said water seeps through the wooden window seals during storms, creating ongoing issues.
“If we don’t do something now, if we don’t change those wooden seals, it’s gonna be really expensive to put it back like it was, and it’s gonna be a maintenance headache on down the road for someone else, and right now it just so happens to be my headache,” Garrett said.
Garrett said TCAT students will perform the repairs while the county will pay for the materials. Garrett said TCAT’s Project Manager suggested removing all of the windows on the wall except the bottom row and replacing the seals.
“If we remove all those windows with the exception of the bottom row, which that is the only windows in the front now that allows light into any part of the building,” Garrett said. “All of the other ones they are blocked out by a drop ceiling, so essentially, right now, they become more of a nuisance with those wooden seals then had with anything. His suggestion was to leave that bottom row, replace the seals above and below them, and then stucco from there up to the eave. And then we can do with that stucco whatever we want. We could paint it whatever color.”
Some Commissioners wondered about the wall keeping its original look. Garrett said repairing the wall while keeping the original look is an option, but decided against it as it would cost the county a significant amount of money.
Garrett said the county will aim to start repairs this spring. Garrett said there are many aspects of the project, like costs and logistics, that have yet to be figured out.
“We are gonna have to figure out when we can do it, and if we can suspend court proceedings over there and possibly move them to the square cause this is not gonna be a day fix, this is not gonna be a week fix, this is gonna be weeks as long as the weather cooperates,” Garrett said.
Commissioners asked whether the sidewalk in front of the wall and the jurors’ access door would also be repaired as part of the project. Garrett said the work is needed for safety reasons, but it is not considered an immediate priority.
“At some point, we would like to in the side of the jury room, have a doorway put in, a fob door that’s both ways that stays locked, other than if you got a fob to fob it, and then a sidewalk out to the main entrance sidewalk,” Garrett said. “Hopefully, that is something they can help us with.”
In other business, the commission voted to move its monthly meetings back to the historic courthouse on the square after temporarily relocating to the county services building during construction in the area.
Commissioners also approved hiring a full-time employee for the senior center, with the position funded by a grant for the current budget cycle. The role will be revisited in July as the next budget season begins.
The commission authorized the Archives Department to hire a part-time employee, contingent on the position being funded through revenue generated by archive fees.
In addition, the commission approved an updated county highway road list.