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County approves removal of unused bank vault in Register of Deeds office
Summary
The county awarded a purchase order to remove a concrete‑encased vault that has been inaccessible for years; staff told commissioners the exterior deposit plate will remain and that any discovered contents would be returned to the bank or handled appropriately.
County Administrator Darren Myers told the commission on Feb. 18 that the Register of Deeds office contains an encased bank vault occupying a roughly 10‑by‑10‑foot closet. The vault has never been used by the county and cannot be opened without drilling out the lock mechanism, Myers said.
Myers said the county solicited bids and selected a company with prior experience removing bank vaults. The contractor’s work will remove concrete encasing the vault, extract the metal safe, clean and level the floor, and finish the interior with drywall tape and mud so the space can be used for storage. Myers said the county intends to leave the exterior deposit‑box plate in place and, if necessary, reseal it to be weather‑tight.
County Counselor Bill Jeter said there is no reason to expect material liability for contents of the vault, but that if identifiable materials belong to Commerce Bank or other parties the county will turn recovered items over to the appropriate owner. The contract requires the contractor to do most work off‑hours because the process includes jackhammering and noise.
Commissioner Michael Burgett moved to approve purchase order 7894 and Commissioner Nathan Leiker seconded; the commission voted 3–0 to approve the removal work.
Why this matters: The space is currently unusable for storage and the removal will create a functional records storage area in the Register of Deeds office. The county briefed commissioners on exterior weather‑tight concerns and how the county will handle any discovered contents.
Ending: The vendor will schedule work in evening or weekend hours and the Register of Deeds staff will receive the finished storage room when work is complete.
