Crucial repairs made to courthouse

Several updates have been made to the Perkins County Courthouse recently, one of which has saved the building from severe damage. 

Late last year, the commissioners made the decision to have TC Engineering inspect the foundation after noticing several cracks in the walls and floors on the south side. Most concerning was the separation of the door frames from the wall structures.

TC Engineering discovered the supports under the building were no longer supporting it properly. A tunnel that had been dug under the building many, many years ago for maintenance of utilities pulled dirt away from the foundation, causing it to begin to settle. 

In November 2018, TCC Corporation of Windsor, Colorado was awarded the bid to complete the repairs for $69,165.

Sheriff Jim Brueggeman said they completed repairs efficiently and quickly last month by placing concrete pads in the tunnel and 22 concrete footers and supports. They were able to level the south side with the rest of the building. 

Since they did not have to gain access through the courthouse floors, the project is expected to come in significantly under budget. 

Other recent visual updates completed by Faber Signs include “In God We Trust” above the courthouse entrance, large clocks on each floor and new clear windows in the commissioner meeting room printed with “Perkins County est. 1887” and “Court House est. 1926”. 

In June 2018, commissioners voted to display the motto “In God We Trust” after Barb Otto presented on a campaign with a goal to display the national motto in all government facilities.  

There are currently over 680 government facilities in 37 states who have voted to display the motto.