MASON, Mich. — The historic Ingham County Courthouse and clocktower in Mason hasn’t been renovated since the late ‘80s, but it may get a "face" lift starting later this year.
Richard Terrill, director of facilities for Ingham County, said the county hired an architecture and engineering firm two years ago to evaluate the courthouse and clocktower due to water infiltration and damage.
”There was some damage to the structural lumber…because of the water infiltration there was some deterioration. We’ve taken a look at the exterior with the gutters, the metal fatigue on the exterior of the building, some of the steel members on the inside of the building,” Terrill said.
The project will consist of removing, refurbishing and reinstalling the clock faces themselves, structural renovations, electrical and metal work and some exterior painting. The estimated cost of the project is about $2.8 million.
Ingham County Treasurer Eric Schertzing says that these renovations have been on a multi-year list of projects county officials knew needed to be done. The county plans to sell bonds in order to pay for it.
“We have some debt-service responsibilities at the county that are maturing out this year, and, when you’re thinking about your cash flow and your budget management, when one debt is paid off, you have the opportunity to take on something new,” Schertzing explained.
Schertzing says the county prioritizes taking care of its facilities.
“You know when you’re driving south toward Mason or coming north from Jackson, one of the first things you see from the highway or from the countryside is this beautiful clocktower that looms over above and sets the parameters of where downtown Mason is, where our county seat of government is,” Schertzing said.
Schertzing and Terrill both say the renovations are important for the future of the historic building.
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