Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure Damage topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Supervisor reports tornado damage to Iroquois County courthouse; repair costs pending insurance review
Summary
Supervisor Chris Drake told the Management Services Committee that June 11 tornado damage shattered front courthouse glass, required Servpro cleanup and tree removal, and that insurance and vendors are still providing repair estimates; matching the 63‑year‑old glass may require structural changes.
Supervisor Chris Drake told the Iroquois County Management Services Committee on July 6 that the courthouse suffered significant wind damage in a June 11 tornado and that county staff are awaiting insurance estimates for structural and glazing repairs.
"I was in here at 4 in the morning on the 12th," Supervisor Chris Drake said, describing the immediate response. He said glass broke into interior plaster and Servpro crews cleaned glass from all three floors and the basement. "There was glass stuck in the plaster wall up in the… it moved off of your…" Drake said, recounting the interior damage.
Drake described multiple resulting costs: temporary boarding of windows, tree removal that blocked access on Grant Street, and work by vendors including Servpro, Premier Glass and a local contractor, Bob Marquis. He said he has met with the county's insurance adjuster, Kevin Young, and submitted preliminary invoices but is still awaiting pricing for full repairs.
Drake also said replacing the courthouse's front glazing may be complicated. "They're really concerned with trying to match that 63‑year‑old glass," he said, adding that original mounting and stanchion details may require steel reinforcements: "They said those aluminum stanchions, now they have to have steel going through them."
The report included routine maintenance and inspection items as well: annual state inspection follow‑ups on the elevator, fire alarm and extinguishers, HVAC filter swaps at the administration building and a new mini‑split air‑conditioning unit for the 9‑1‑1 center.
Committee members asked whether the insurance claim would cover the full replacement and whether alternatives to exact glass matching had been explored. Drake said he is awaiting Premier Glass pricing and additional adjuster guidance and will keep the committee updated.
No formal action was taken at the meeting; Drake said invoices already submitted will continue through the insurance process and that additional estimates are expected before the committee takes further steps.
