Committee updates on Fourth Floor courtroom remodel, temporary HR room and landscaping wall designs

Lee County facilities staff updated the Facilities and Maintenance Committee on ongoing courthouse projects, including courtroom flooring and lighting work, a temporary human-resources workspace on the Third Floor, and a planned landscaping wall bid process.

Committee members said a temporary HR room was built in‑house and will be ready when the new human-resources employee starts at the end of March. Jeremy, facilities staff, and Eric, maintenance staff, described the temporary walls as a low‑cost in‑house solution while the county plans a larger remodel of plumbing and the east end of the Third Floor.

The group discussed the Fourth Floor courtroom remodel that is ready to start once delayed materials arrive; staff estimated the courtroom flooring and lighting work would begin in March and voiced a broader timeframe that could extend into May for some associated exterior landscaping work. The committee said they are working with Will and Hoffman and Jeff Smith on drawings for proposed landscaping walls and will design the project, then bid it out and present it to the full board and finance committee for funding approval.

Staff also said the Fourth Floor lighting has been switched to LEDs and that flooring work will start in the courtrooms and progress to hallways; insulation will be added to help with sound transfer. Boiler and water-heater preventive maintenance and HVAC training on new systems have been completed, and staff are tracking several electrical issues reported in inspections.

The committee adjourned after a motion from Dean Fruit, seconded by Mike Pearson.