Courthouse committee to tackle questions on condition of building

by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor

A committee headed by chairman Carl Altman and vice chair Bob Schell will try to answer a half-a-century old question without incurring additional expenses to county taxpayers. Members of the Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners squeezed in 15 minutes of discussion at the conclusion of a marathon four-hour session regarding the aging section of the courthouse.

The ?what to do with the courthouse? question is nothing new to county boards. It was 50 years ago this week, the board of supervisors approved a special election resolution to send a measure for the voters to decide. In their resolution it stated, ?the courthouse is approximately 70 years of age and no longer adequate for the needs of the county??

The jail, which was located in the southwest corner of the first floor and housed the sheriff, was threatened to be closed. ?Whereas the board of supervisors does hereby determine and declare that the estimated usefulness of said courthouse, including a jail, is not less than 50 years,? the resolution dated August 7, 1959, stated.

The estimated cost to replace the three-story structure was $560,000 five decades ago. OPTIONS INCLUDE financing methods, looking at other facilities and seeking grants. The board also is bouncing around ideas of what to do with annex north (former Nowicki?s Sausage Shoppe).

The latest suggestion came from Altman and would include using the facility for office space on the Third Street side, as well as space for maintenance and storage of vehicles. Altman said if the smaller buildings on the south side of the courthouse, which takes up part of the employee parking lot, are removed the maintenance equipment could be relocated to annex north.

Annex north was purchased a year ago, but has undergone nothing more than cosmetic changes since. The inside remains empty, but with a lingering smoked sausage smell. A serpation wall would be constructed to seperate the two sides. ?I guess

I would kind of question parking vehicles in the building,? said commissioner Mike Grohowski. ?You would get into a mixed use, office space and vehicles. The requirements for separations could be costly. It?s a building code issue.?

Grohowski believes the largest expenses would be putting in new restrooms. ?ASSOCIATED WITH that, I still think we need to keep progressing along on the project here, to look at what grants are available, what the bottom line costs are going to be,? said Altman. ?Without raising any taxes,? said commissioner Kris Sorgenfrei. ?That?s a concern people are already raising.?

Sorgenfrei believes an open house for residents needs to be scheduled. ?There are people for or against the project who have never been inside of this building,? said Sorgenfrei. ?They have no idea what we are talking about. They need to see some of the good, bad and the ugly.?