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Last year the overall project was estimated to cost a total of about $4 million but the county has yet to receive estimates for the second phase of the improvements, which include new HVAC, electrical repairs and fire suppression systems.
The A.B. Graham building and the common pleas courthouse — both of which are more than 100 years old — lack central air conditioning, operate with a hot water boiler system and have little to no fire suppression system.
Contractors recently finished foundation work at the courthouse and are currently beginning similar work at the A.B. Graham building, Building and Grounds Director Mike Swank said.
“They’re proficient,” he said. “They’re moving along really well.”
The contractors have finished work on the roof at A.B. Graham and are expected to begin roof repairs at the courthouse this week. It’s expected to be completed in about four to six weeks, Swank said. Windows will begin being installed once the roof is finished, he said.
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Once repairs are complete, he said they’ll begin interior renovations.
As the county begins its strategic planning process, it must discuss which spaces are being used and what makes the most sense moving forward, Clark County Commissioner Melanie Flax Wilt said.
“Things have changed since those buildings were built,” she said. “We’re using computers, we have fewer people walking in. It’s a different way of serving the public.”
Officials from the Ohio Supreme Court recently walked through the A.B. Graham building, citing security concerns, Swank said. The commission will examine moving some offices from A.B. Graham to other areas with better security, such as the courthouse, leaders said.
“You can walk straight upstairs to any department and not be searched or anything,” Swank said. “That’s a big issue that they’re looking at.”
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