Courthouse Update from Greater Wabash and Architect

At the White County Board meeting, Jeff Vaughan, a representative from the Greater Wabash Regional Planning Committee, and Lacey Young, a prominent architect working on the possible new courthouse, shared significant updates with the board in public comments.

As of August 21st, the County has yet to receive the grant it has been waiting for from the State. The State Historic Preservation Office, SHPO, emailed Jeff Vaughan about the ETC Grant.

In the past, a study was done on the existing courthouse, where the realization hit how much work needed to go into fixing the building, so instead, the board put together a Building Committee. The committee decided that grant money would be used to build a new courthouse in the lot beside the existing one. After a grant was signed, an email was received from SHPO stating that the courthouse demolition would not happen, a decision that significantly impacted the plans. Chairwoman Cassie Pigg and Vaughan conducted a Zoom meeting and showed information showing the courthouse demolition has been the last resort.

Unfortunately, there has been a pause, Vaughan adds,

“To date, we don’t have the SHPO clearance, and all of the money, 1.2 million, all of that money is essentially frozen right now for two reasons. This grant is frozen in part because of the rollover and in part because of the SHPO interest in the courthouse project, which was 600 thousand dollars, I believe was allocated to that out of the 1.2 million.”

Circuit Clerk Kelly Fulkerson proposed a compelling idea to expedite the process of moving up in Springfield,

“Do you think if the employees start filing lawsuits because the ceiling was falling on their head, that would change anything, or that things were falling on us? When I’m working, and the heat registers above me, things are falling on my head, and I’m not telling anyone. Do I start telling people about that now? Would that change their minds? Or when the mice are running through the courtroom during court, or when we’re finding dead mice everywhere up here. So I will start reporting everything that happens, and you guys can give that information to them because I’m not going to continue to work in a building that when the trucks go by our, everything is shaking, and we’re waiting for it to fall in over us. I won’t continue that. I don’t know what you guys expect us to do, but when you move everybody out but one office, you got to know something’s wrong with this building.”

With the money stalled, the County can only wait and hope Vaughan can contact SHPO.

Lacey Young was next to address the board. The County’s department heads have a couple of layout options: one is for the new courthouse, and the other is the possibility of renovating the Times building again. However, some people are unhappy with these ideas.

Young explained that the new building will house two courtrooms, a jury deliberation room, three judges’ chambers, a circuit clerk’s office, and rooms for attorneys. There is also talk of moving the Supervisor of Assessments, State’s Attorney, and Treasurer offices into the Times building, which would provide more space, conference rooms, and an access-only door, creating the possibility of spending more money on the Times building.

Pigg shared her concerns,

“Yeah, I think we need to, like, re-evaluate this part with not or disturbing that side of the building as little as possible because we’ve already dumped over a million dollars into it, so let’s not.”

Board members Ken Usery and Clint Spencer have expressed reservations about the project, and Treasurer Mike Baxley is not keen on moving his office.

The biggest concern is still the security of the Times building. Since the money is on pause, that means the building plans are as well.