Court renovations delayed by officials

A federal loan is making the project possible.
& lt;a href=mailto:leigh@vindy.com & gt;By NORMAN LEIGH & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- The proposed spring starting date for a massive remodeling of the historical Columbiana County Courthouse is being pushed back several months.
It may be summer before the estimated $2.7 million job gets under way, said Judge C. Ashley Pike of county common pleas court. The bulk of the renovations will affect the courthouse's second-floor court area.
County officials said in August that they hoped the project would begin in spring 2004. But it's taking a while to hire an architect, one of the first steps in the undertaking, Judge Pike explained.
Funding
Officials are negotiating with a Youngstown architectural firm that may take on the job, which is being funded largely through a 30-year loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The federal agency makes money available for improvements to rural communities.
Money to repay the 4.25-percent loan would come from federal government reimbursements to the county to cover the court's expenses in handling certain child welfare matters.
About $25,000 of the total project will come from a fund furnished by court costs.
Plans include installing a new, pitched roof to the three-story stone structure, parts of which were built in 1872.
The building's flat roof has frequently allowed water to ooze in and damage courthouse offices. New windows will be installed in parts of the courthouse, as will a new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
The courthouse's two main courtrooms on the second floor will undergo substantial remodeling. Dropped ceilings will be scrapped, fixtures replaced and jury boxes altered.
Judge Pike has said the goal is to convert the court area into something citizens "can take pride in but not be embarrassed by opulence."
Replacing windows
As planning for the renovation continues, county commissioners are hunting for funds to replace those courthouse windows that aren't affected by the second-floor courtroom restoration.
The building's single-pane, wood-frame windows are decades old. Most have decayed, allowing heat to bleed out in winter and hot air to infiltrate in summer -- circumstances that boost the county's utility bills.
Commissioners want to replace the old windows with modern ones designed to match the 19th century appearance of the originals, which is what will be done on the second floor.
The window replacement work would cost about $400,000, Commissioner Jim Hoppel has said.
& lt;a href=mailto:leigh@vindy.com & gt;leigh@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;