Sunday, May 5, 2024
Repairs to leaking domes and the removal of a decaying beehive are among several courthouse projects.
Coryell County Commissioners Court discussed plans for some of the upcoming repairs to the Coryell County Courthouse at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 14.
Some of the projects include sealing leaks in the four copper domes and removing a decaying beehive that is seeping honey into the 52nd courtroom – a result of a former bee colony inside one of the walls. Although the bees have been removed from the wall, Commissioner Ryan Basham said water leaking from one of the domes might be causing the leftover honeycomb to melt.
“That’s one of the issues – the dome,” Basham said during the meeting. “We definitely need to address the other side where the bees were at. That’s what’s melting the honeycomb.”
Basham said the total cost to repair the domes is $194,000, or $48,500 for work on each individual dome. As of press time, there is not a timeline in place for when maintenance on the domes will begin.
Basham said he is also reaching out to beekeepers and several vendors to find ways to remove the honeycomb without tearing down the wall.
“There are things looking into being done to preserve the courthouse,” he said.
Courthouse janitor Tiffany Butler said the leaking seems to be coming from one of the domes on the Northwest side of the building. She adds that the honey is also leaking from the wall on the Northwest side into the 52nd courtroom balcony.
“We don’t have any issues on any other side of the building, just on that side,” she said.
Basham said he has also received concerns from the public about the statues on the roof that have visible signs of peeling on the outside.
The county has reached out to the Texas State Historical Commission in Austin for possible grant options to help fund some of the courthouse repairs and renovations.
“We are trying to see if there is a route to go for grant funding, so we don’t have to use taxpayers’ dollars,” Basham said.
County Judge Roger Miller said during commissioners’ court that he is working with the Coryell County Historical Commission to apply for grants, including the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation program, where applicants can receive up to $10 million to support the restoration of historic county courthouses.
“What the historical committee has been working on is getting us a shell together, and again, that would give us an opportunity to tap into some state funding on some of these larger projects,” Miller said.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Last year, the courthouse received a new roof, which had not been replaced since the 1980s. The building also recently underwent maintenance to replace a 30-year-old chiller system as well as masonry work in the boiler room.
The courthouse was built between 1897 and 1898. It celebrated its 125th anniversary this summer.
