County approves bids for courthouse work

Sep. 7—Union County Board of Supervisors Monday approved bids for courthouse remodeling and improvements that were agreed on late last year. Funds for the work will be from the federal government for COVID relief, known as the American Rescue Plan Act.

Courthouse buildings and grounds coordinator Shaw Lauer said one bid was received for work in the treasurer's and assessor's office. Hymbaugh Construction's bid of $38,500 for relocating the assessor's office and $137,600 for remodeling the treasurer's office. Hymbaugh is from Creston.

Supervisors approved a bid of $13,335 from Masters Contract Services for improvements to a storage garage. Masters has a representative in Creston. Supervisor Dennis Brown made the motion to accept that bid, which passed 2-1. Supervisor Rick Friday voted no.

A bid from AEL of Des Moines for $56,850 will be for a wheelchair lift for the south entrance of the courthouse. The chair lift was not part of the supervisors' original discussions about projects late last year. A lift was discussed in May.

Exact start dates, and estimates for time of completion of all the projects, were not included in the discussions.

Union County was awarded $2.3 million in America Rescue Plan and have received $1.18 million of its amount. The county has not begun research on the second installment of funding. Supervisor Chairman Dennis Brown said after the meeting he expects some of the funds from the second installment to be used for what was approved Monday.

Office work

Jim Hymbaugh of Hymbaugh Construction said via a telephone call the bid price is good through the first 2023. Hymbaugh said the work could start in November, provided the time is ideal for county officials. Hymbaugh said he does not expect an increase in cost of materials before work begins.

Union County Assessor Mindy Schaefer explained earlier this year the relocation of her office from the lower level of the courthouse to the main floor.

Schaefer's office is switching places with the board of supervisors. Supervisors agreed using $115,525 for the courthouse to pay for the relocation and remodeling, plus requests from other departments. Approved by the federal government, American Rescue funds were distributed to municipalities to recover lost funds due to COVID-19.

Schaefer explained how the move and remodel will work.

The board of supervisor's meeting room on the main level will be relocated to the assessor's office in the lower level. The assessor's office will move to the main level with some modifications to where the supervisors meet.

The entry area to the supervisor's room will stay. That space will provide some room for assessor's office record books available to the public. A window-counter space will be created in a wall in that area.

Schaefer's two-person staff will be stationed in the meeting room and be able to see approaching people through the window-counter. Schaefer will convert a room into her office. Her office will have a window installed so she can see the her staff and window-counter for customers.

Additional space in the room adjacent to her new office will be storage space for the assessor's department and a conference room, which can be used by the board of review and others, if needed. Schaefer said meeting room is limited within the courthouse. That meeting room will have a window only for people to know if the room is being used. Technology for meetings will be installed.

Schaefer said there is a tendency for people to need her office, and other departments, on the same trip. Having all of the departments on the same level will be convenient.

Treasurer's office

Union County Treasurer Kelly Busch is also having changes done to her department. She said the walk-in vault within her department will be removed as it not needed. There are still secure places to keep records and other information.

Supervisors were still not sure what to do with the vault door after it is removed from the building. There are also concerns of removing the door because of its immense weight.

"There may be a way of taking the door apart. I have no idea," Lauer said.

Busch said the vault removal is a bit complicated because of its size, structure and location. Attention will be made to avoid any damage to the courthouse's marble floors.

The space the vault was in will create more room for driver's license testing. That will also reduce the size of her personal office. An additional customer window will also be opened in a space where one was previously.

The courthouse dates back to 1953. Other than the addition of the law enforcement center, some county officials said this may be the most extensive work ever done to the building.

Storage garage

Lauer said the garage is need of new siding and roof repairs. It is used by multiple departments. Lauer said there is some courthouse furniture stored that is not needed. Should it be disposed, and other items, that could create more space for other needed items, maybe even a vehicle.

"Is it really something we need," Friday asked about the garage. "I'm having a hard time fixing up something you don't use all the time."

Lauer said without the building, items would have to be moved to another storage space. The sheriff's department speed radar unit and snowblowers are kept.

"If you fix it up, it will get utilized more than it is now," Lauer said. Brown was in favor of improving and still using the building.

Stair lift

Lauer said AEL can begin acquiring parts after bid approval. The bid is only for the actual lift. Any other needs to the building are not included. The lift will be accessible to the lower and main floors of the courthouse. It will not reach the courtroom level as people will be asked to use the existing elevator on the main floor.

Supervisors expect to use the second installment of COVID-19 relief funds to pay for additional needs for the lift, like an entrance ramp and power supply.

"It will be quite a few dollars, but I think it will be money well spent," Supervisor Ron Riley said about overall cost.

Friday suggested applying for a grant to fund additional needs for the lift.

In additional COVID funding, supervisors approved for $1,085 for county recorder Katie Carlton to use for her program that informs registered members their name has been used in recorded documents. Supervisors did not spend all of the first installments of the funding as about $21,000 remains.