Renovation work on the Bartholomew County Courthouse is just about finished.
The Bartholomew County commissioners on Monday approved an amendment to their agreement with Strand Associates regarding HVAC modifications to add $29,000 to the project, which has seen roughly $3.3 million in work since March 2024 after years of delays.
Strand Associates’ Tony Akles remarked that “we’re at substantial completion” of the project.
Contractor Dunlap and Co. is finished with its portion of the work and the courthouse is expected to be back to normal operation in about 30 days, according to Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz, R-District 1.
Work at the courthouse was supposed to be finished this past May, but Akles said the age of the courthouse, combined with the effort required to coordinate work while it was still open for some court proceedings prolonged completion a bit.
The project has involved improvements to nearly every room of the 150-year-old, 46,928-square-foot courthouse at 234 Washington St.
The entire HVAC loop system was rehabilitated, 72,000 feet of outdated data cables were replaced, and a third-floor chandelier, originally installed in 1874, was refurbished with new wiring and energy-efficient LED lights.
The courthouse also was updated with new carpet and paint, as well as new lighting on the exterior. Workers also updated second and third-floor bathrooms.
“You go in there, the lighting you can definitely tell. I think the lighting is great,” Akles said. “But most everything is kind of hidden. You don’t know it unless you start poking around.”
Commissioner Tony London, R-District 3, said the work “puts our courthouse on track to be very useful for a long, long time.”
“This year is the 150th anniversary of the opening of that courthouse, and maybe in 100 more years it’ll still be here,” London continued.
A celebration of the 150th anniversary of the courthouse was originally scheduled for last December to commemorate when construction was completed in 1874. But renovation work threw a wrench into those plans, and officials said previously they intend to commemorate the anniversary this year to observe 150 years since the courthouse became functional.
The courthouse project is being funded with $2 million from the 2024 county general fund approved by the Bartholomew County Council, more than $1 million from federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds, and the remaining balance from County Economic Development Income Tax (CEDIT) revenue.
Once the project is officially finished, other improvements such as window and door replacements will be considered on an annual basis, the commissioners said.
The commissioners had known for a decade that the courthouse was in need of extensive repairs and renovations, but delays usually occurred due to shifting priorities, Kleinhenz said in an earlier interview.
The renovations have led to some musical chairs, with judges and other court officials moving around as work progressed.
Circuit Court Judge Kelly Benjamin and her staff have been using the new Court Services building near First and Franklin streets for some time, but the commissioners said they should be back at the courthouse soon.
Bartholomew County Prosecutor Lindsey Holden-Kay’s staff had been operating out of the second-floor offices, normally occupied by Benjamin, before Bartholomew Superior Court 2 Judge Jon Rohde and Magistrate David Nowak used the space while their third-floor spaces were closed off. Holden-Kay and employees eventually moved back to their permanent offices in the basement.
