Courthouse closure pushed back

SANDPOINT — Officials are building some elbow room into plans to temporarily close the Bonner County Courthouse so asbestos and vermiculite can be removed from the building.

The closure was initially planned to start on April 18, but it’s now gravitating toward April 25 to provide enough time to clear out office equipment, court files and secure alternate work spaces and court venues, county Commissioner Mike Nielsen said.

It will also give court and county officials time to juggle hearing and public meeting calendars to mitigate the disruption to judicial and government functions.

“It’s more reasonable for everybody,” Nielsen said of the lengthened run-up to the closure.

The closure would remain in effect for at least three weeks, although county officials acknowledge it could end up taking five to six weeks depending on how the work progresses.

The Bonner County Clerk’s Office at the Bonner County Administration Building is equipped to take payments and filings in court matters. Driver’s licensing, however, will only be available in Priest River once the courthouse closes.

Where court matters were be conducted remained a bit hazy on Friday.

Some hearings could be held at the administration building and county officials are investigating the possibility of utilizing other public facilities such as Sandpoint City Hall, the U.S. Forest Service’s Sandpoint Ranger District offices and Sandpoint Community Hall.

Nielsen said a Mountain West Bank official has graciously offered up the use of its former office space on East Superior, which is located behind the courthouse and could make the temporary move more bearable.

“We’ve just got to put it on paper to see if it works,” said Nielsen.

The county planned to abate vermiculite and asbestos in conjunction with other phases of the remodeling project, but opted on Thursday to tackle it all at once in a bid to save money and time, and to safeguard the health of courthouse employees and visitors.

During the closure, workers will also go after mold in the building and repair a leaky roof.

The courthouse remodeling project was projected to cost $828,000, but has now surpassed the $1 million mark.

There will be some minor asbestos mitigation this weekend and Kyron Environmental will conduct air quality testing before the building reopens on Monday.

The building is tentatively scheduled to remain open for business for the following two weeks.