Courthouse bell tower siding to be replaced
The bell tower at the historic Brown County Courthouse is about to get an upgrade, as crews will begin replacing the siding on it this summer.
At the May 15 meeting, maintenance director Ric Fox reported that the bell tower had sustained damage from high winds in the spring storms. Fox said it was also in “dire need” of paint.
Two local companies bid for the project: Dewey Sizemore Excavating and Building and Waltman Construction Company. The commissioners chose Sizemore, which bid $16,850 to replace the rotting wood siding with cement board siding that was not pre-painted, or $18,350 to use cement board sizing that was pre-painted.
Waltman bid $38,682.
Fox said the higher bidder was planning to leave a lift to access the tower at the site for about 15 days and that costs around $500 or $600 a day. The lower bidder planned to build scaffolding on site instead.
The repairs will be covered by a $2 million bond the county took out last year to pay for capital improvements at county-owned properties.
The courthouse, built in 1874, is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Indiana State Historic Preservation Society has no rules about using a certain kind of material when replacing anything on the exterior of the courthouse, but it does recommend it be a like material.
“Being high on the top of the courthouse, it probably wouldn’t be noticed as a different type of material; however, it would last a lot longer, which is why it’s more expensive,” Fox said of the cement board siding.
During the May 15 meeting, resident Paul Navarro suggested removing the bell inside the tower and putting it on display in the Brown County History Center. “People can at least look at it; then, you don’t have to worry about the safety or doing the restructuring. If it’s there and nobody knows about it and nobody cares about it, why waste the money?” he said.
Biddle said Navarro made a good point. Fox said he would see if it would be possible to get the bell removed while the siding is replaced. “Most bells anymore are electronic anyways,” Fox said.
Approving the project was tabled until June so Fox could provide material samples. At the June 5 meeting, Fox said that Sizemore was going to give him a quote on removing the bell, but he would only be able to do that after getting up to look at it again.
Biddle also asked Fox to check with local stone masons Bay and Sons about tuckpointing the bricks on the courthouse — another project that would be covered under the capital improvement loan.
“There’s two sections where the mortar in between the bricks is gone. They were going to do it last fall, but it was too wet. Let’s see if we can get them in this spring to get tuckpointing done,” she said.
Resident sharing research on septic systems
A local resident is wanting to share research she has done on her own septic system with the community as the Brown County Regional Sewer District works to establish sewer in the Bean Blossom area.
“A few years ago it came to my attention that the sewer would be coming by my house, then there was a meeting and everything kind of went away. Now, here we are today,” Bandy Russell said during the Brown County Council meeting on May 20.
“From our perspective, it’s really easy to say, ‘Absolutely not; I don’t want another bill to pay. We’re already stretched the way it is.’ It’s easy to jump on that bandwagon, to say ‘no’ to something new and it’s going to cost something.”
Russell said she tried to put the research she has done on her own family’s septic system into a format that is easily shareable with others who want to know what state their septic system is in. “I’m not claiming to be an expert. All I know is, I know more about septic systems than I thought I ever would or should,” she said.
Anyone in the proposed sewer area in Bean Blossom who has a septic system that is 10 years old or newer is allowed to apply for a five-year exemption. That means some homeowners in the area might have decisions to make.
Russell compiled her research into 40 pages. “The scope is for somebody to take this and look at their own home, their own personal situation, to see that if they’re not doing the things they should be for their septic, now is a good time to start. Maybe that sewer line won’t go to their property for years in the future. Now is a good time to say, ‘What am I doing at my home that’s either good or bad for the system?’ so they can protect their own home, their own ground and their own facility,” she said.
Russell said during her research, she tried to confirm information in different places and validate the source.
Even though Russell lives in the path of the proposed sewer district, she said her work is only about her home’s septic and not the sewer project.
Anyone who wishes to get a copy of her research can email [email protected].
Council President Dave Redding worked with Russell on revising her research. “We have a lot of really smart people in a lot of different offices with information and resources for people who seek it out. Here’s a grassroots type of thing. You may or may not find it helpful, but I learned quite a bit reading it myself,” he said.
“Whether a sewer system is headed your way or not, this helps you get a little better with your onsite wastewater treatment system.”
Russell said her information could easily be put into a PowerPoint presentation for a future community conversation.
