By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — Kosciusko County will soon seek bids for repairs on part of the Justice Building’s exterior that collapsed unexpectedly in August, as well as other areas that were found to have cracks.
County Commissioner Cary Groninger said this week that they expect drawings that will be part of the engineer’s proposal to be ready in April and that they hope to receive bids on the work in the following weeks.
Several horizontal limestone slabs crashed down from above a secondary entrance to the Justice Building along Lake Street on Aug. 29, causing significant damage but no injuries.
Soon after, engineers began assessing the immediate damage and then expanded the scope of review to the entire building for other potential weak points.
Groninger said they identified about 35 cracks, all in the older northern part of the building, which was constructed in 1980.
Wooden structural supports are currently being used in eight areas along part of Lake Street and West Main Street.
Repair plans are now taking on a holistic approach, he said.
He said they also plan to replace some of the anchors that hold panels in place with a more modern version.
“We’re working through getting that accomplished as well as making sure the facade of the building doesn’t look like a checkerboard when we’re done, so we don’t have an old panel and a new panel, old panel, new panel,” Groninger said. “Maybe even replace more panels than what we need to make sure we have some consistency in what the facade of the building looks like,” Groniger said.
He said the commissioners could have an update as soon as their April 7 meeting.
A rough cost estimate will also become known soon, he said.
