$7.2M Butler County Historic Courthouse restoration enters final phase

Commissioner Don Dixon recently told the Journal-News they need to be circumspect about continuing to finance expensive capital projects, given the grassroots campaign to abolish property taxes. This one is different.

“We had to weatherproof the building, no matter what you do if you’re going to own it you have the protect the structure and keep the inside dry,” he said. “It is what it is on that, it would do so much more damage not to do it.”

The county paid $18,500 in 2020 to do a comprehensive study on what is needed to shore up the iconic structure. The plan recommended spending about $1.5 million over three years or roughly $4.6 million.

Here are some of the repairs and construction bid prices, including the recent contract:

The report indicated if the project was completed as outlined, it should be another 25 years before more significant work is needed.

“The current conditions of the courthouse have caused the need to close off areas around the building due to concerns about falling debris. Staff and visitors regularly deal with leaks and deteriorating plaster,” the report read. “Until the repairs are completed, the deterioration will continue to grow and expand which will increase the final cost of the repairs and disturbance to courthouse operations during the work.”

The four-story structure cost $305,000 to build and was completed and occupied on Feb. 4, 1889.

“It’s taking longer to do the outside repairs than it did to actually build the courthouse, and I think that’s a true statement,” Commissioner Cindy Carpenter, who has long been a courthouse restoration advocate, said in response to social media posts about the building’s original construction.

The county hasn’t just let the building wither away — repairs have been made inside and out through the years, including $91,994 to replace the crumbling steps on the High Street side of the courthouse. The work was completed in September 2016.

Lengthy timeline

Carpenter, who is a member of the Courthouse Restoration Committee, told the Journal-News their work is not finished. She said some mechanicals that run the building need to be replaced and the interior also needs an upgrade. It could be pricey.

“It depends on what we’re allowed to do,” she said. “If you really want to renovate some of the courtrooms that’s going to be in the millions, if you’re just slapping paint on it’ll be significantly less.”

County Administrator Judi Boyko told the Journal-News the final phase will take the rest of this year and other than a $250,000 change order last year — to deal with unforeseen water damage on the iconic terra-cotta clock tower and fourth floor interior walls — the project has been on budget. Fully replacing the windows wasn’t part of the original plans but as other work was done “it was determined the majority of the windows are not salvageable.”

Other than restoring landscaping, no further work is planned at this time.

“When the county embarked on the Historic Courthouse project it was focused on the structural integrity of the building,” she said and later added the phases they’ve already done were considered the “necessities” and “the board of commissioners has not directed any enhancements or improvements to the interior of the building.”

The courthouse is currently home to the Area II and Probate courts but soon the municipal court will be moving to the Government Services Center. The Ohio Supreme Court did a facilities study and determined the Area I and II courts needed more secure chambers so they are moving out of their current locations.

Boyko said Area I Court must be out of its location in Oxford by March 31 and both courts are moving in tandem to the GSC.

The commissioners are in the throes of a huge space reutilization project and Dixon said the Historic Courthouse is a piece of the puzzle but they aren’t sure yet where it fits just yet, “it’s like playing checkers.”