Some prospective contractors were able to access the courthouse at 4 p.m. to inspect the elevator areas regarding potential bids for the renovations needed to correct elevator operational problems in the building.
The prospective contractors were allowed to see the shaft and take measurements and get information needed to effectuate their bids from the fourth floor access of the courthouse.
Gail Allen | R-H photos
WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE — The Monday Fayette County Commissioners meeting centered around the county courthouse elevator.
There have been problems reported with the operation of the elevator at the Fayette County Courthouse for the past several months. It is old and has been stopping irregularly. The commissioners want to go ahead with renovations to the mechanics of the elevator.
Carmen Baird, Sarah Smith, and Tara Everhart, who work at the court, spoke with the commissioners on the matter. Smith was concerned about her access to her office on the third floor, the clerk’s office, due to the elevator being inoperable during repairs. Smith, who is in a wheelchair, has worked in the clerk’s office for four years, she said.
The commissioners offered a temporary solution, if she chooses to accept it, to accommodate her by moving her desk job to the first floor so she won’t have to go upstairs to work.
The commissioners said that major renovations are necessary to the elevator controls, cables, mechanisms, and more. The contractors’ pre-bid conference was scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday to discuss it.
The project manager, Jason Funderburg, led the discussion at the 3 p.m. meeting with four potential contractors present. Otis Elevator, Roberts Services, Schindler Elevator, and Kone Inc. had representatives at this conference. The bid specifications and procedures were discussed and bids will be due May 13 at 11 a.m. at the commissioners’ office.
Work hours, storage of their equipment and tools, barricades, warning lights, dumpsters on site, and prevailing wage requirements were discussed and questions answered by Funderburg.
Funderburg, commissioner Jim Garland, and the prospective contractors then went to the courthouse to look at the elevator, elevator mechanisms and the shaft housing. The contractors were allowed time to take measurements and see the structure and the job they will be bidding on.
Access to the elevator shaft was accomplished by going to the fourth floor to observe, take measurements and inspect the area.
Funderburg said that the renovations are expected to be less than $500,000 and take approximately 20 weeks to complete. Therefore, the courthouse elevator will be inaccessible for approximately four months to anyone who works above the first floor, and the general public.
Funderburg said he has contacted a company to install a temporary tram-like unit on the stairway to provide handicap access. This tram-like unit will not be attached to the banister so as not to ruin the historical look of the old building, he noted. This unit must be installed prior to the start of any renovations, he said.
