Courthouse could take two more y

Work on the historic Loudon County Courthouse could soon resume following a stalemate in the rebuild.

At the start of the year, phase two of the project was estimated to begin in April or May, but the project is still experiencing delays.

Susan Huskey, Loudon County purchasing director, blames COVID-19 for the numerous setbacks.

“During COVID, the architect’s office closed down and they began to work from home, which really slowed down the project, I believe,” Huskey said. “They continued to work from home for well over a year. I don’t even know if they’re back in the office now or not. When phase one, which was the stabilization phase, was complete ... the construction contractor left the site.”

Huskey said architectural firm Brewer Ingram Fuller Architects Inc., had already been working slowly and the pandemic caused more delays. She isn’t sure what “internal issues” the firm may be dealing with.

“The good news is we’re all coming back to the table,” Rollen “Buddy” Bradshaw, Loudon County mayor, said. “The architect has some plans available now. The contractors have looked over them and given them an estimate. The insurance wants to come in and meet with all parties, including the county, to make sure it’s a feasible estimate and that it’s correct and it’s not too high or too low, so that’s going to be a huge step in getting this phase two started.”

The estimate for the “outer shell” of the building is $5 million, which is to be covered by insurance, Huskey said.

“Given the condition of the shell of the building, there appears to be structural issues because of the age of the building that had nothing to do with the fire,” she said. “When they’re in there repairing all that, they can’t ignore age-related structural issues, and so it appears the insurance company will cover that as well.”

Following approvals, construction contractor Johnson & Galyon will return for work on the phase two restoration. The contractor pulled crews from the site after phase one was complete since crews had no work, Huskey said.

“We’ve had some people in and out, just working on the interior walls, fixing the cracks and everything,” Bradshaw said. “I think it’s been around 90 days or so, maybe not even that long, since there’s been anybody on site.”

In the meantime, Huskey said the architect has been working on plans for the interior and having discussions to ensure office space allocations are correct.

While a timeline cannot be provided without costs approved and the construction contractor at work, Huskey believes the project may take another 18 months to two years.

“I do think it will go faster than the stabilization phase went,” she said. “… COVID had a very significant impact on this project.”