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Consultant warns Titus County annex lacks fire suppression and accessibility; court weighs fuller study before facade work
Summary
At an April 20 workshop, a consultant told the Commissioners Court the downtown annex has major life-safety and ADA deficiencies and may require gutting rather than a cosmetic exterior repair; commissioners and residents urged a broader study of space, parking and long-term costs before expanding the exterior bid.
A consultant advising Titus County told the Commissioners Court on April 20 that the downtown annex building is not up to modern safety and accessibility standards and that the county should consider a comprehensive study before spending on an exterior-only renovation.
Glenn Calvert of Prayfort, who reviewed the structure in 2019, said the annex has significant ADA shortcomings — from accessible parking and routes to courtroom circulation — and described a patchwork of HVAC and electrical fixes. "The building is not in compliance with lots of things," Calvert said, adding that the structure is Type III (wood) construction and, as he put it, "there's no fire protection, fire suppression, sprinkler system." He also said he found no working fire-alarm system.
The warning framed the court's discussion about whether to proceed with an exterior facade project that had attracted bids or to amend the project to address interior life-safety and space constraints. County officials and the court cited recent work on the building —…
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