MANSFIELD — Globe lights may be returning outside the front of the Richland County Courthouse.
County commissioners discussed the project Tuesday with maintenance supervisor Josh Hicks, an effort that would improve outside lighting and also help restore the look of a building constructed six decades ago.
The price tag for the project is around $11,000 on the building completed in 1968.
“I sort of look at this as killing two birds with one stone,” Commissioner Tony Vero said. “We have changed the interior lighting to LED, but the exterior is not. We knew we would have to do that eventually.”
Commissioners said the question is the style of light.
“The historical people are all for (returning the globes),” Vero said. “This was the only courthouse built around this time in the state.”
Hicks said the 24-inch globes come equipped with LED lights. He wasn’t sure if the 22-inch models also came so equipped.
Commissioner Darrell Banks said a vote on the project should be delayed until Hicks gets answers to that question. The maintenance supervisor will come back to commissioners on Thursday and a vote on the effort is likely.
Also on Tuesday, commissioners awarded a $596,060 contract to the Rj Kirkland Construction Company Inc. of Willoughby to replace roofs on three buildings at the county fairgrounds — Fairhaven Hall, the Youth Hall and the Arts & Crafts Hall.
County Administrator Andrew Keller said seven bids were submitted for the work, ranging from $596,060 to $1,000,074. He said only one bid exceeded architect Dan Seckel’s estimate of $699,000.
“It’s a rare bit of good news in this inflationary environment,” Keller said.
The work will be funded by the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funds, commissioners said.
