COLUMBIANA COUNTY Courthouse lands $2.7M for project

A new roof and windows will be added to the 1872 structure.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- Columbiana County has landed approval of a $2.7 million federal loan to undertake one of the most ambitious county courthouse renovation projects in the 19th-century building's history.
Judges C. Ashley Pike and David Tobin of county common pleas court, told commissioners Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had approved the low-interest 30-year loan.
The judges also secured from the commissioners approval to seek an architect for the project. Construction is expected to start in spring 2004 and take one to two years.
Plans include installing a new roof on the 1872 structure to replace a leaking, flat roof that has frequently allowed water to seep in and damage courthouse offices.
New windows will be installed in parts of the three-story building. Also to be put in is a new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
The courthouse's two main courtrooms on the second floor will receive major face-lifts.
Dropped ceilings will be removed, fixtures replaced and jury boxes will be reconfigured.
Restoration
One aim of the project is to ensure the period look of the building is maintained, or in some cases, restored.
The remodeling won't be extravagant, but will go beyond basic, the judges said.
"It will be something the citizens can take pride in but not be embarrassed by opulence," Judge Pike said.
"It's a great improvement for the courthouse," Commissioner Gary Williams said. "It's badly needed," he added.
Commissioners said they're scouting for a funding source to replace courthouse windows not being replaced as part of the renovation project.
Windows throughout the building are old and poorly insulated. In some, the sills are rotting.
To pay back the 4.25-percent loan from the USDA's rural development program, the court plans to use money the federal government reimburses the county annually to cover the court's expenses in handling certain child welfare matters.
About $25,000 of the total project will come from a fund fueled by court costs.