After months of hearing the concerns of the county’s judges and county department heads, the County Commissioners gave RQAW permission to take the next step and move forward with the renovation of the historic Daviess County Court House. According to the schematic design presented at Tuesday morning’s meeting, the basement area will contain the prosecutor’s and adult protective services offices, along with an ADA-compliant and secure entrance. The first floor will house two of the county’s three courtrooms as well as the offices of two of the three judges. Due to increasing case loads in Daviess County, the state has added a magistrate’s court along with the current Superior and Circuit Courts. The clerk’s office will also be housed on the main floor. The Commissioners will also try to reopen the main front entrance if security mechanisms do not interfere with the historic appearance of the main lobby. The third floor of the courthouse will house the probation offices, a third courtroom, and the judges’ chambers. RQAW will now begin design development and construction document development, with a six-month target for advertising for bids. Construction time will take approximately 14 to 18 months after awarding contracts.
In other business, the Commissioners agreed to provide County Highway workers with a $140 per year allowance to buy safety boots and to provide a $50 cell phone stipend for employees in the prosecutor’s office who use their phones for office business. The Commissioners also agreed to a request from Jeremy Adams and Discover Downtown Washington for $20,000 of economic development funds to support the Quick Impact Facade Grant program. The Commissioners also approved a request from the I.T. department to begin the process of moving the County’s Internet address to a “dot-gov” domain.
The next Commissioners’ meeting will be on March 14th.
