More improvements are coming to the Morgan County Courthouse thanks to federal funding.
The Morgan County Commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance allocating American Rescue Plan Act funding to replace all of the windows in the courthouse. The project is next in a line of improvements that have been slated for the more than 150-year-old building.
Commissioner Chair Ginny Fanning says the window replacement project is a major undertaking that is long overdue. She says the winning job bid went to a local company.
“We had a bid opening at the end of July and we were very pleased that the low bid came from our local Jacksonville Art Glass. They will be starting in January to replace the courthouse windows.
Again as we have always said, if we hadn’t had the American Rescue Plan Act funds a lot of these projects would not be available. So we are grateful to have that and see work being done at the jail and soon work here at the courthouse.”
The total cost of the project is approximately $745,000 to replace the windows, many of which are original to the building. Fanning says the replacement windows will be new energy-efficient windows that will retain the old look suitable for the courthouse’s architecture.
The project is one of several improvements happening at the Morgan County complex. Earlier this summer a new lighting system was installed in the main courtroom, and parking lots at the Courthouse, Sheriff’s Office, and Probation Office have been resurfaced.
The courthouse parking lot is set to be re-stripped this week which will see the traffic flow reversed in an effort to keep people from going the wrong way on West Court Street to get to the next row of parking spaces.
Work also continues at the Sheriff’s Office where a major security update ranging from cameras to door locks at the Morgan County Jail is currently underway. Next in line of the Commissioner’s punch list is a major update to the heating and air conditioning system in the courthouse to bring it up to more modern standards.
In other business Monday morning, the Commissioners accepted the resignation of William J. Critchelow and approved the appointment of Gary E. Strawn as Commissioner for Road District Number 8.