COLUMBIANA CO. Restoring building to remain a dream

Nearly $250,000 was spent on county building repairs this year.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- Even with Columbiana County's finances under a severe strain, county officials are doing what they can to maintain the historical county courthouse and other county buildings.
But for county Commissioner Jim Hoppel, the 1872 courthouse is a long way from recovering its period charm. Given county money problems, it could be years before preservation efforts can be undertaken, he said.
Hoppel, the commissioner in charge of county buildings, called the three-story courthouse's condition solid.
But he added that "it's a shame we haven't had the money to make it a place people could be proud of."
Achieving that goal would entail undertaking a project to remove some of the 20th century modernization efforts the building has undergone and restore the structure so it is truer to its 19th century design.
Most of the modernizing has been done on the interior, where period fixtures, trim and plaster have been removed, replaced or covered.
Money: A historical restoration of the building would require funds the county just doesn't have. "Right now, it's just pie in the sky," Hoppel said.
County officials will have to be satisfied with maintaining the building.
With that goal in mind, the county spent nearly $250,000 this year from property tax revenue on a variety of fixes, Commissioner President Dave Cranmer said recently.
"It's been a multitude of little things that have been overlooked or let go," Cranmer said.
This year, the county upgraded wiring, replaced some second-floor windows, upgraded the heating system to make it more efficient, replaced an air conditioner in a basement office where computer equipment must be kept cool and repaired a roof-top gutter system that was allowing water to seep into the building.
Elsewhere: Repairs weren't limited to the courthouse.
Some of the $250,000 went toward repairing kitchen walls at the county jail along County Home Road in Center Township.
The walls in the lockup's kitchen were deteriorating partly because of the large volumes of steam produced there.
Funds also were used to replace the air conditioning unit at the county department of jobs and family services on Nelson Parkway in Lisbon.
Cranmer and Hoppel said money must continue to be allocated for future repairs and maintenance, particularly for the aging courthouse.
Hoppel noted that many more windows in the building must be replaced. The old ones are allowing heat to escape in the winter and cool air in the summer, contributing to the county's utility bill.