Room for improvement

BENTON, Mo. -- Veterans Day this year marked more than just the dedication of a revamped war memorial in Scott County. The dedication also stood as the crowning event of a three-year process to renovate the county's historic courthouse and its grounds -- and it was the courthouse's circuit courtroom that provided the setting to showcase the building to the public.

The circuit courtroom was the model for renovating the three-story building that has served as Scott County's seat of government for 84 years, with its open spaces, neutral colors and large columns.

Hundreds packed into the courtroom and the expansive courthouse lobby outside, surrounded by walls, floors and columns that have been retouched over the past three years. Much of the work that was done on the structure is invisible to visitors -- electrical wiring that was completely replaced, asbestos that was removed and offices that were cleared out, renovated and made into what county commissioners hope is a better working environment for employees.

Scott County Associate Commissioner Jamie Burger discussed the improvements made to the County's courthouse after completed renovations and remodeling, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2006. (Don Frazier)

Some of the old things remain -- the basic architecture, an old wooden phone booth with a seat inside, signs with messages like "Avoid heel prints and striking matches on walls and radiators." But the old boiler that used to heat the place is gone, as are the window-unit air conditioners, replaced by a central heating and cooling system. Those radiators went with the boiler.

For commissioners, the renovation of the building, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in January 2004, has been one of the county's biggest accomplishments of the past few years.

The people who work in the courthouse say the improvements were a long time coming.

"If they would have seen us before," said Phyllis Bruch, who works in the office of Prosecuting Attorney Paul Boyd. "We had mold on the walls."

Presiding commissioner-elect Jamie Burger doesn't mince words when talking about the building before its renovation.

"It was to the point it was just about embarrassing," Burger said.

Bruch and Burger don't exaggerate. Without fail, employees in the courthouse have horror stories about the old days. Burger talks about the exposed wiring that used to run along the walls, lights that were almost too dim to work under and a boiler that was in such bad shape it "was on its last legs every year."

With a fresh coat of paint and much-needed renovations to the Scott County Courthouse in Benton, Mo., county employees and visitors can now enjoy the beautiful architecture of the 84-year-old building.

Assessor Tom Dirnberger used to work in an office that was little more than a glorified cubicle, probably about 8 feet wide.

And things went largely unchanged for years.

"No commission has ever really wanted to tackle it because of how much money you spend," said Burger, who will continue to serve as 2nd District commissioner until January.

Employees were consulted on changes to their own offices, and all design work was done in house, which Burger said may have saved the county 15 percent of the total project cost.

The process really got started in late 2003, when the courthouse elevator was replaced and Scott County found out its electrical system wouldn't power a new one.

Dena Milz, left, and Paul Bouge worked in a much brighter Prosecuting Attorney's office.

Overall about $1.3 million was spent on the courthouse over three years in a county with a yearly budget of about $10 million. The money came largely from a half-cent sales tax passed by county voters in 2000, set to expire in 2008. Every year the sales tax brings in about $1.5 million for the county's law enforcement fund, which has allowed commissioners to free up about $500,000 of the county's general revenue each year for courthouse improvements.

"That's a lot of money, but can you imagine trying to build this place today?" Burger said. "People wouldn't stand for it, and I wouldn't have the guts to ask."

Burger is proud of the way commissioners were able to budget the renovations. No money was borrowed. Few grants were used, tax credits weren't used, just county money -- a move Burger said gave the county more control over the process.

When the tax was put on the ballot in 2000, commissioners told the public that money raised by the tax would help free up funds to renovate the courthouse, in addition to providing money to build a new jail facility. Martin Priggel, the current presiding commissioner who was also a commissioner at that time, saw the sales tax vote as a vote on a new jail and a renovated courthouse.

"I think the sales tax was actually law enforcement, but we were explaining it would free up some money in general revenue," Priggel said. "I don't think I've really heard a person who said it was a bad idea." The jail was completed in 2003. Then work began on the courthouse.

Not finished

But more work is yet to be done. Despite the improvements, the county is now facing one of the old problems that started the talk of renovating. In offices, boxes full of documents are stacked on shelves. Outside Boyd's office, filing cabinets full of records sit in the hallway. The county is again running out of room for storing its documents, and commissioners plan to ask voters to help.

In 2007, the county will likely ask voters to renew the half-cent sales tax, this time to free up money for the acquisition of an archive facility.

Burger said the ballot issue will be a way to gauge voter support for a building that will serve as an archive center and storage for emergency supplies. The facility will likely be located in an existing building near the courthouse in Benton.

More improvements will be seen in his first term as presiding commissioner "if people trust us enough to vote the sales tax past," said Burger said.

To free up space, Burger also wants to move the Scott County Sheriff's Department out of its current building into the top floor of the new jail facility and move Boyd's office to the old sheriff's office to free up more room in the courthouse building.

Even though he's about to retire from county office, Priggel said these moves were part of the county's long-term plans to fix the seat of government all along. "

During the massive courthouse renovation, thousands of pounds of documents were shredded and removed from the building, making room for more spacious offices. Over two years, those documents have slowly regenerated, and now county offices are trying to pack them in wherever they can fit.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182