TEXARKANA, Ark. - Reopening the Miller County Courthouse may not cost as much as initially anticipated and moving the county's government offices back to their courthouse locations, may also take place sooner then originally thought.
Late last week, Miller County Judge Cathy H. Harrison said a recent insurance claims adjuster's inspection of the courthouse's Feb. 21 water damage led to a drop in the earlier estimate of a $15 million price tag. Now the county is just looking at between $7 million to $10 million.
Besides a lowering price estimate, Harrison added that it may also be possible to move the county offices back to the courthouse within a year, rather then the 18 months initially expected.
Both the courthouse's fifth and fourth floors are now dry, while the third, second and first floors, along with the courthouse's basement, are still undergoing air drying procedures. This is expected to last a few more days.
Once the courthouse's full interior is dry, asbestos abatement procedures will start - at which time the courthouse will have to be completely closed off to everyone except abatement personnel.
Harrison said that since the recent water pipe burst and interior courthouse flooding, asbestos has been found inside the courthouse's second floor courtroom as well as in areas on the third floor and in the basement.
Harrison added that telephone access to county's government offices now stationed in downtown Texarkana's Landmark Building as well as those on Hazel Street should be operational.
As for additional COVID-19 federal aid, Harrison said that government $1.9 trillion CARES Act package could still mean that Arkansas, as a state, could receive as much as $600 million for its 75 counties - with Miller County being able to receive as much as $2 million to $3 million for reimbursement related to purchases the county has had to make for cleaning sprays, gloves, masks, hand sanitizer and other supplies needed to limit COVID-19 spreading.
In other business, during the county's most recent Quorum Court meeting, the justices of the peace agreed to a request by Miller County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Mark Lewis, to set up a one-person services division office.
Lewis said the office would be responsible for handling the personnel training paperwork and other matters.
Lewis added that money needed to finance the services division can be funded by cash pulled from other law enforcement areas. The JPs gave Lewis the green light to go forward with setting up the new position.
Also, in other business the Quorum Court's county employee insurance committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. today inside the Landmark Building's second floor staff meeting room, to discuss employee insurance matters.