The Statewide Courthouse Assessment project, funded by the West Virginia Courthouse Facilities Improvement Authority, is well underway in its sixth month and is going extremely well.  Charleston-based Silling Associates Architects is leading an assessment team of experienced courthouse architects, engineers, and historic preservation consultants for the project.  With thirty five of the county courthouse assessment visits completed (as of February 15th), the assessment team is gearing up for the remaining twenty county courthouses and anticipate completion of assessment tours in June of 2013. In the process, Silling Associates is employing a highly regimented and thorough analysis of each of our state’s county courthouses to identify and prioritize various building deficiencies consistent with the WVCFIA grant process, offer recommendations for improvements, and assist in developing project budgets.  Issues that are being addressed include: life safety, structural, roof, electrical/data, exterior, interior, HVAC/plumbing/fire protection, doors and windows, and ADA accessibility.

County commissioners, administrators, and courthouse maintenance staff throughout the state are all to be commended for their involvement, collaboration, and valuable input during the assessment team’s visits.  These counties and their staff have made great efforts in accommodating the team’s architects and engineers, allowing them to gain access to roofs, clock and bell towers, cupolas, and truly incredible attic spaces.  Each and every courthouse offers its own unique “story”—whether it be historical significance, its architectural style, and/or the various and unique ways they were designed and constructed years ago.  This assessment, through the support of the WVCFIA, is intended to preserve what we all cherish and appreciate in our county courthouses.

As the assessment process nears its completion this summer, every county will receive a copy of their Courthouse Assessment Report—a master plan so to speak—that will provide an easy to use “roadmap” for future CFIA grant applications and courthouse improvement strategies complete with narrative analysis, photographs, project recommendations, and cost estimates.  For questions or more information regarding the Statewide Courthouse Assessment, contact Mike Moore with Silling Associates Architects at (304)346-0565 or Melissa Smith with the WVCFIA at (304)558-5435.