Ten Arkansas counties are set to receive more than $1.2 million in grants for the upkeep of historic courthouses, the Department of Arkansas Heritage announced this week.
Among the 10 are three courthouses in Northwest Arkansas, including those in Franklin, Madison and Newton counties. The "subgrants," which are specifically aimed at the restoration of historic county courthouses, are part of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. The program is awarding more than $2 million in grants for projects in 33 counties this year.
Heritage Department spokesman Mark Christ said the department received more than $7.5 million in funding requests from counties throughout the state.
"As historic resources, the county courthouse is one of the few places that everybody in a county will encounter at some point," Christ said. "It's the public building that's at the heart of the county. And they're also often the most architecturally significant building within the county.
"The amount requested far exceeded the amount we had to give out. Counties across the state are cash-strapped, and this is a way we can help them keep their historic buildings in service," Christ said.
The department is awarding $154,000 to Franklin County -- which has two courthouses -- to restore the Charleston courthouse, built in 1923; $199,000 to Newton County to upgrade the heating and air conditioning systems in its courthouse in Jasper, built in 1939; and more than $185,000 to Madison County to rebuild the roof and update the heating and air conditioning in its courthouse in Huntsville, built in 1939.
Madison County Clerk Faron Ledbetter said the county has long relied on the restoration grants to stave off the effects of weather and aging on the Madison County Courthouse.
"Our basement flooded a few years ago, and we actually had to vacate it," Ledbetter said. "We were able to do some waterproofing and put in a French drain, and worked on the walls. After we got that done, we worked on the basement last year.
"The courthouse, like most courthouses, isn't in real good condition," Ledbetter said. "This courthouse was opened in 1939, so for a long time now, it's steadily been getting in bad shape and needing some repairs. We're kind of at the point now where minor repairs are not enough."
Ledbetter said the Madison County Quorum Court had discussed abandoning the courthouse in recent years but had so far decided against it for a number of reasons.
Heritage Department money comes with a few strings attached, including a requirement that recipients grant the department a "historic easement," which requires counties to maintain the historic character and function of their courthouses. Before a county can vacate or sell a historic county courthouse, it needs permission from the department.
Christ said the department has worked with several counties in the past to expand their government offices to adjoining annexes.
Ledbetter said other factors working against vacating the courthouse included its place as a community fixture and the likely cost of replacing it.
"Our courthouse, like most courthouses in the state of Arkansas, they're kind of located in the center of town, and everything evolves around the courthouse," Ledbetter said. "Or a lot of things do. Attorneys' offices tend to be located real close.
"The other thing is just the cost of trying to build a new courthouse this size, with today's money, versus the repair cost," Ledbetter said. "We proposed it at the Quorum Court a couple of years ago and got a lot of feedback from our constituency that they kind of want to try to maintain the courthouse we've got."
Ledbetter said that one estimate to completely restore the existing courthouse was more than $3.6 million, while an estimate to build a new courthouse with the same dimensions came in at about $5.2 million.
"And I understand that, because you've got a lot of history here, and courthouses are kind of a point of pride in the community and something everybody looks at. It's tough to weigh all that out," Ledbetter said.
NW News on 07/18/2014