Pieces of courthouse dome sent to Ohio for repair

Standing on any of the four corners surrounding 301 N. College Ave., onlookers have a clear view of the construction taking place on the historic oval dome sitting atop the Monroe County Courthouse.\nIt has been almost 100 years since the dome was constructed in June 1908, according to data from the courthouse’s Web site.\nIts reconstruction will coincide with the 100-year anniversary in which the cornerstone on the right-hand side of the award-winning building was laid.\n“Although we didn’t plan to get this reconstruction done on the building in accordance with the 100-year anniversary, there was considerable leaking and damage that needed to be fixed,” said Monroe County Commissioner Jane Marie Lind. “It has to do with the integrity of the building, and we are glad it will be finished before the summer.”\nA public ceremony will be held June 16 to commemorate the laying of the cornerstone. Official plans of the ceremony have not yet been made. City officials plan to find a time capsule somewhere inside the cornerstone, Lind said.\nThe project began last Tuesday with the removal of the copper, which is being sent to Midwest Maintenance Inc. in Ohio for repair.\n“Everyone wants to see the courthouse preserved and in good shape,” said Monroe County Commissioners attorney Bill Steger. “We can only hope that we won’t have to have any other major reconstruction for awhile.”\nThe exterior dome runs much higher than the ceiling. To actually see the remolding from the outside of the building, a person would have to stand on the other side of the street, Steger said.\nThe courthouse itself has not undergone a large-scale reconstruction since 1984, but it receives constant maintenance.\nIn 2000, the courthouse spent $300,000 with Midwest Maintenance to clean and reappoint all the masonry in the building, Steger said.\nEverything will be fabricated and repaired, said project manager Jeff Lyman of Midwest Maintenance.\n“When we went in for the appraisal, we realized that somewhere along the line the dome had been coded over to prevent leaking,” Liman said. “However, no one can be certain when this particular remolding actually took place.”\nMidwest Maintenance, which is also working on various other landmark buildings across the country, is working with other companies to restore other parts of the dome on the courthouse.\nThe ornament on top of the dome along with the 12 metal rings at its base are being sent to Heather & Little Company in Ontario, Canada, where they will be reproduced.\n“We expected to receive the pieces by mail today,” said Cameron Forbes, vice president of Heather & Little. “Once (the pieces) do arrive it will take our maintenance team approximately eight to 12 weeks to complete.”