Published: April 22, 2008 04:22 pm            

Open at last

Historic building fully operational after two years of renovation

By Leia Jobe

reporter2@trcle.com



The Johnson County Courthouse is back in business.

After packing on Wednesday, moving in on Thursday and unpacking Monday, county employees are finally settling in to their new homes in the courthouse after a two-year, $8 million restoration project.

County offices were fully functional throughout the move, handling routine county business and juggling thousands of file boxes, a new telephone system and the unfamiliar hallways of a new office.

“The move went very well,” County Judge Roger Harmon said. “Everything’s operational, and we’re happy to be back in the courthouse.”

Amid a flurry of unpacked file boxes and ringing telephones, county employees tried to adjust to their new surroundings.

Ruth Roden, Scottie Brown and Gary Graham in the county auditor’s office said they were glad to be in the new courthouse.

“We’re still getting settled in, but it’s really nice,” Graham said.

County Auditor Kirk Kirkpatrick said the move to the courthouse has improved communication in his office by allowing his offices to be closer together.

“The advantage for us is that it puts all our offices in the same floor here,” Kirkpatrick said. “Before, we were split between two floors, so being here is making it much easier for us to communicate.

“We’re still unpacking, but we’re doing pretty good. We’re discussing some lighting issues, but we’re generally very pleased with the new building.”

Some offices, especially the interior offices without windows, were a little dark, employees said. Table lamps were set up on many desks to try to lighten the dark corners. Because the courthouse is a historical building, lighting must be approved by the Texas Historical Commission.

“It’s kind of dark in some of the rooms, but we’re adjusting,” County Treasurer Barbara Robinson said. “Just like with any move, it takes time to get the kinks worked out.”

Only three offices have not moved into the courthouse. The veterans service office, elections office and the recording section of the county clerk’s office will move in when linoleum floors have been installed in the basement.

As the movers pulled away, a few residents wandered into the courthouse looking for the county clerk’s office. After taking a few wrong turns, they eventually found the right door and became some of the first Johnson County residents to do business in the restored courthouse.

        

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