Additional work to the exterior of the Riley County courthouse is needed.
Recently, a contractor cleaned the exterior walls of the Court House, Carnegie Building and County Office Building. During cleaning of the Courthouse, areas were found which will require more extensive repair or stone replacement.
County commissioners toured the exterior of the building along with the contractors and public works on Monday. The majority of the issues are on the exterior of the front entrance area facing Poyntz Avenue. The main areas of concern are the Riley sign above the archway, one of the stone faces on a pillar next to the entrance, and part of the stone area next to the stairs.
The contractors suggested either patchwork on the cracked areas or stone replacement. However, they say the patchwork will only be a temporary fix.
Commission Chair John Ford says the building is still going to be used for quite some time, so it needs to be maintained. He and the commission agreed to keep it preserved and historic as much as it possibly can.
No cost estimate has been drawn up yet. The purpose of the tour was for the contractors to meet with the commission to get an idea of the scope of work they want done.
