Repairs to courthouse covered by grant

Nevada Daily Mail

The Vernon County Commission gave an architect a tour of the courthouse Wednesday in order to determine where repairs are needed as they continue to pursue a $100,000 grant from the Missouri historical preservation office.

Vernon County was already awarded the first of the two-part grant, which paid to bring in architect Jennifer Wilson of nForm Architecture, who will create a courthouse master plan, documenting the maintenance needs of the building.

"Step one is identifying what we need," Presiding Commissioner Joe Hardin said.

During their tour, Wilson and Hardin discovered areas inside and on the exterior of the building that need repair, including the chimney, stonework around the entrances as well as some pipe issues that have resulted in water damage inside. In some areas, rainwater also seeps in around windows, causing further damage.

"The building overall is in good condition," Wilson said, but added there are several areas that could use repairs.

Wilson, who has similarly worked with other surrounding counties, said she enjoys seeing historical buildings such as Vernon County's courthouse, and is saddened when communities are unable to keep up the building and have to move out of it.

"Counties have been under a crunch for so long that I think things are just not getting done," Wilson said.

But through the grant, which is only awarded to a handful of recipients a year and can be applied for repeatedly, Wilson said historic buildings are being repaired, adding it is an honor that Vernon County was awarded the first portion of the grant.

"These grants are really sought after," Wilson said.

Now the county will wait to see if they will be awarded further grant money. Wilson said the counties chances are positive.

Vernon County began the process with the initial tour Wednesday, but will continue with a more thorough search done by a team at a future date. Wilson will then document the specific needs while the county later prioritizes those needs.

"I don't care where we start, we just need to start," Northern Commissioner Neal Gerster said of the repairs needed at the courthouse.