Holmes courthouse set to receive new south-side windows
The Holmes County Commissioners moved forward on a construction plan that will benefit the courthouse for years to come.
The commissioners discussed a contract with P&L Builders to do work on some of the aging windows in the Holmes County Courthouse.
The contract, for $74,206, will replace all the windows in the Common Pleas Courtroom and the judges’ office windows.
According to Commissioner Dave Hall, the project will begin sometime this spring, probably in April or May.
“The whole courthouse needs windows done,” Hall said. “We were having some major issues on the south side of the courthouse. They were actually starting to fall out, so we made a quick decision. These windows should have been replaced long ago. They were inferior, and when you look at the windows, you can see the molding ripping out, and we’re starting to get gaps.”
He said the new windows will be much more efficient and create savings in heating and cooling in the future that will allow the windows to pay for themselves over time.
P&L Builders is the same company that replaced all the old windows in the Old Jail building where the commissioners meet.
The current contract is for the replacement of a total of 11 windows, with the goal of replacing all the courthouse windows in the future in place.
“We’re going to slowroll this project,” Hall said. “We will do it how we can afford it.”
Commissioner Eric Strouse said the other consideration in when to replace the remaining windows will be working around county employees’ schedules.
Arnie Oliver, Holmes County planning commissioner, said the county is preparing to receive another round of Community Home Investment Program grant agreements.
“Great news: We got another CHIP grant of $400,000,” Oliver said. “That can be used to fix up people’s houses who qualify.”
Hall said the county is currently working on setting in motion another round of demolition grants, something Oliver has put to good use in beautifying the county by providing funds that allow the county to tear down dilapidated and unwanted structures, creating either green space or land that can be used to build new structures.
Oliver said the Holmes County demolition process currently in place utilizing demolition grant funding for 2024 is set to begin soon.
“It’s kind of held up at state, so we have fingers crossed that we may be able to start sometime this winter,” Oliver said. “We have about 25 properties on the list ready to go.”
Hall said the state still has additional funds available that need to be spent by 2026, so there could be an additional round or two of demolition dollars available to counties that apply.
“That’s been a great program for Holmes County,” Hall said, noting it has beautified villages such as Nashville and Millersburg, including the razing of the former health department building next to Pomerene Hospital.
“We’ve put that money to good use, and we have some great contractors who are making it work,” Hall said.
Holmes Emergency Management Agency Director Jason Troyer said he and Assistant Director Jordan Tschiegg recently me with the Ohio School Safety Center to assist EMA in developing a Family Reunification Plan for both East and West Holmes school districts.
Family reunification is a functional protocol that outlines the redirection of a school’s occupants to a secured site that is removed from the scene of the crisis and supports the effort to reunite students with their families.
Troyer said the EMA would like to create the plan in 2025.
As the year 2024 came to its completion, Hall said there were many people throughout the county who have helped the county continue to blossom.
“We thank all the people of Holmes County who stand up each year to try to make that (growth and success) happen,” Hall said.