Benton County commissioners and staff spent a portion of their meeting reviewing multi-year work to identify potential new uses for the county'owned historic courthouse, which officials say faces costly seismic upgrades that constrain reuse options. Jesse, Parks and Natural Areas staff, described the advisory committee'led process and stressed the need to transition from idea collection to targeted outreach and funding strategies.

The county'led advisory process produced a wide range of possible uses for the courthouse and adjacent buildings, from arts and meeting spaces to boutique lodging and judicial or court-adjacent services. "We've been through a process that took a couple of years," Jesse said, describing efforts to "develop ideas, see if any connections could be made, and to imagine possibilities." The staff summary emphasized historic-preservation principles and downtown economic impacts as central priorities.

Commissioners and staff repeatedly flagged seismic retrofit costs as the major barrier to reuse. One commissioner said, "It's probably now closer to $25 to $30,000,000" to address seismic vulnerabilities for the building as currently configured. That scale of work, participants warned, could make private uses infeasible unless the county secures substantial public funding or finds a use that falls under limited retrofit triggers (for example, certain quasi-governmental judicial uses).

To advance a feasible approach, staff said they will follow up on targeted research led by Matt Weatherall and consider inviting external market analysts, anchor institutions and potential investors to assess options. Staff also identified several near-term actions: cataloging grant and foundation opportunities, exploring energy-efficiency incentives to reduce operating costs, and deciding whether to form an advisory group to steer solicitation and outreach.

The discussion emphasized limits to county authority and the need for partners if the preferred reuse requires external programming or sustained operating revenue. Commissioners requested follow-up analysis on likely customer types, possible funding mixes, and recommended next steps for community engagement. No formal decision was made; staff were asked to return with more targeted options and analysis.