Bradley County’s civil engineer recently advised the County Commission that all eight of the courthouse’s weathered columns will need to undergo considerable repair work. The most visibly damaged column is located at the main entrance.
Photo by Paul LeachCLEVELAND, Tenn. – The eight weathered – and, in some cases, crumbling – columns lining the front of the Bradley County Courthouse may be restored sooner rather than later.
Earlier this week, members of the County Commission’s finance committee approved the restoration of the most severely damaged column at a cost of $12,491. But the panel intends to approve the restoration of all eight columns at once if it can be done.
Repairing all the columns in one project will cost $62,705, according to County Engineer Sandra Knight.
Knight told commissioners she was requesting approval only for the immediate restoration of the most-weathered column. But she said all eight have structural damage from weathering.
“It’s pretty critical that we get them done within the next year, 18 months, something like that,” Knight told commissioners.
However, the county only budgeted enough to repair one column, according to Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis.
“It is the only one feasible, the only one we can afford at this moment,” he said. “Ideally we would do them all.”
The fifth column, just right of the main entrance to the courthouse, has the most visible damage, Knight said. At least a foot of concrete has worn away to expose the column’s inner metal rods to the elements, very close to where the column abuts the railing of the second-floor outside walkway.
An outdoor ramp leading to upper floors also could suffer damage later, Knight said, as six of the deteriorating columns connect to it.
Knight said postponing restoration of all the columns will cost the county more in the long run. If each column is handled as a separate project, the county will pay contractor mobilization costs eight times instead of once, eventually amounting to nearly $100,000, she said.
“It seems like it would be a wise decision to just go ahead and do all of them and get it over with,” Commissioner Ed Elkins said.
Elkins recommended the county tap reserves, saying the money is drawing little interest and doing all the work at once would save more than $30,000.
The finance committee has recommended the commission OK the restoration of all the columns. The commission’s next voting session is Sept. 19.
Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.