Work is continuing on the repairs to the Lawrence County Courthouse after a water leak on Jan. 4 flooded the third floor and dripped down to the lobby. ServPro brought in drying equipment and fans on Jan. 6 and disposed of ceiling tiles and other items ruined by the water pipe that busted in the attic.

Chief deputy auditor Chris Kline said he got an update on Wednesday.

“Servpro said they are taking out the drying equipment because everything is dry now,” he said. “They have to let all the masonry work acclimate itself back to normal working conditions of the courthouse and then they will do restoration work on the plasterwork in the lobby.”

Kline said the cold weather has actually helped with the drying process.

“The air is dryer, so it helps dry things out quicker,” he said. “We aren’t dealing with the humidity like we would in the summer. So that is one plus.”

Kline said ServPro is going to give it about a week for the masonry to get acclimated and then come back to see what they need to repair and repaint.

ServPro is working directly with the county’s insurance company and the only cost to the county will be the deductible.

“Then everything else will be taken care of,” Kline said. “That’s why we have insurance.”
Kline said that the cause of the water leak was a busted pipe, but they aren’t sure if it froze or just broke because of old age.

The OSU Extension Office on the first floor is open because they had minimal damage but the county engineer’s office is still awaiting repairs after water dripped through the ceiling from third floor office of what used to be the Educational Service Center. The water destroyed rugs and damaged a couple of pieces of office equipment.

“They are still working in temporary quarters,” Kline said. “It will be awhile before the work begins on it.”