County Courthouse needs new windows

County Courthouse needs new windows

News & Notes from August Quorum Court meeting

news@theeveningtimes.com

Several widows at the Crittenden County courthouse have suffered termite damage and will need to be replaced.

County Judge Woody Wheeless told the Quorum Court that there is one section of windows on the east side of the building that has been eaten up badly by termites “We’re dealing with windows that are 106 years old,” Wheeless said. “It is not something that is uncommon.”

The two story brick and stone courthouse was built in 1911 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The windows are about three feet wide and eight feet tall.

Replacing the windows could cost as much as $25,000.

And because the building is a historic property, the county will need to find windows which match the current ones.

“We’re going to get bids on it to see how much it will cost to replace them,” Wheeless said. “Once I get that information I will notify everybody.”

In other business:

• Treasurer Charlie Suiter reported that 2017 sales tax collections are almost identical to the numbers from 2016 and are meeting all projections.

“So far we have taken in $1.4 million,” Suiter said.

“We are down by $500 or .004 percent. So the numbers are stable and following what they did last year.”

• The court heard a complaint from resident Joe Navarro about a salvage and used implement business on Hwy. 147 whose property isn’t being maintained and is impacting neighbors.

Navarro brought photos and told the justices that the bushes and grass along the fence and abutting residential property is badly overgrown.

“It’s a mess,” Navarro told the court. “All it is is a junk yard. I have four grandkids that come and play. All that stuff he has there is home to snakes and rats.”

Wheeless said he would turn the matter over to code enforcement.”

“They are in the right zone to do what they are doing,” Wheeless said. “But they could be a lot cleaner than what they are. We’ll get you some help.” • Justices gave their permission to the Health Department to accept a bid of $7,500 from Quality Flooring to strip and wax the floors at the health department

building.

Department Head Krystal Moore told the court that she called around for more bids to see if she could get the work done cheaper, but only got one offer from Protective Flooring, which wanted almost $21,000 to do the work.

“One group was $7,500 and theirs was $21,000?” a stunned Justice Vickie Robertson asked. “Something is wrong because there shouldn’t be that big of a difference.”

“Yes ma’am,” Moore said. “Which is ridiculous.”

“The first thing I thought is that they just didn’t want the job,” Wheeless added.

“There is no way you would have that much disparity.”

“I think we go with Quality,” Robertson agreed.

The court also gave Moore permission to spend another $1,000 to repair the floors in the bathroom, which have started to buckle around the drain.

“And if you can get it done for $500, we will love you,” Robertson joked.

By Mark Randall