Madison County commissioners say courthouse rehabilitation is on track; Madison Valley Manor kitchen work underway

Madison County commissioners were told Tuesday that the county's courthouse rehabilitation is proceeding on schedule and that related work at Madison Valley Manor's kitchen is moving forward, though both projects will follow required testing and certification before work proceeds.

A commissioner reported that final geotechnical engineering remains to be completed to address a foundation void and that demolition is expected to finish before mass estimations begin. "Gotta finish the engineering on the geotechnical stuff to make sure that the void is done correctly for the foundation," the commissioner said, adding that an archaeologist has been brought on to oversee work when demolition begins. That oversight was described as a condition of moving forward.

The meeting also touched on the Madison Valley Manor kitchen project. The commissioner who raised the item said hazardous‑materials testing is being scheduled "not because we think there is any" contamination, but to avoid having to test during demolition, and that kitchen design work is being finalized. The commissioner said replacing existing ovens could require state recertification and noted the work was budgeted: "Once you do that, you have to recertify everything with the state. So it's it was budgeted for that."

County officials did not set new timelines beyond the existing plan but indicated construction milestones are anticipated to begin in August. No public comment was offered during the meeting.

The commission moved on after the reports to address procurement and other new business items.

The meeting adjourned after a brief motion later in the agenda.