Boone County board approves courthouse work, debates bathrooms and clock

The Boone County Board on Jan. 23 approved the design-and-development phase for a health department administration campus addition and separately approved an alternate scope for courthouse exterior work that includes restoration and a clock feature.

The design-and-development vote on the health campus — described to the board by county project representatives and the architect — passed after lengthy discussion about whether the planned addition should include restrooms accessible to visitors. Randy Darnell, owner’s representative with CCS, told the board, “The current design does not include restrooms, nor is there any code that requires restrooms at this time.” The board then voted; the motion to approve the design passed on a recorded vote.

The courthouse alternate — described in the meeting as “alternate project 7” in the bid package and including roof and sprinkler work plus an exterior clock tower alternate — was approved on a separate roll-call vote. Randy Darnell told the board the contractor’s bid included both a clock and related tower restoration, and that a previously listed $70,000 allowance specifically included tower restoration and an option to remove shutters and replace them with glass (an item Darnell said could reduce the allowance by about $20,000).

Why it matters: members split along lines of cost, function and aesthetics. Several board members, including Marion Thornberry, urged adding restrooms now, arguing retrofitting later would be more expensive and possibly required if the building’s use changes. Thornberry said, “When we get around to saying, yep. Let's put the bathrooms down there. It could cost over $1,000,000 … now it's only going to cost you $200,000.” Board members opposing additional restrooms cited current code compliance and programmatic input from the Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC) and the health department, which did not request extra restrooms during planning.

Board member Alyssa Patterson spoke against adding restrooms at this time and stressed reliance on professional design and the requests of program users: “We have experts, Kluber and this gentleman right here who we have hired to oversee these projects and make sure that we're not making any mistakes because this is not our area of expertise.” She urged the board to approve the design without adding restrooms now.

On the clock, supporters said the feature would improve the building’s aesthetics and civic presence; opponents questioned whether spending on a clock could be justified while other county needs exist. Board members noted a possible donor had previously indicated interest in covering the clock cost and that revisions to the alternate scope could reduce the immediate price.

The board also heard that the VAC had applied for a $100,000 grant that could offset construction costs for an ADA/family restroom; staff said they did not yet know if that grant would be awarded and that there is a potential future location in the plan where a family ADA restroom could be installed.

The two facility-related motions were recorded separately. The design-and-development motion for the health campus passed; the courthouse alternate, which includes the clock allowance, also passed on roll-call. The board approved a lead-abatement proposal for courthouse work in a subsequent vote (see Votes at a glance).