It didn’t go away.

I’m talking about the courthouse debate.

It’s still with us.

And it won’t go away.

The courthouse in Hermann is more than a century old. Granted, it is an impressive structure on that city’s skyline, especially when it first comes into the view of travelers from the south or north.

But there simply is not room in that building, or the necessary facilities, to meet the demands of 21st Century county government.

Let there be no doubt: Finding a solution that is at least reasonably acceptable to a majority of Gasconade County residents is going to be costly. We’re looking at anywhere from a few million dollars to several million dollars. You and I are going to foot the bill.

A dedicated committee of county residents have put in a lot of time and effort studying the current and future needs of county government. Gerald Ebker of Owensville, a member of that committee, recently made public some of the committee’s findings. Basically, it comes down to three options. All have a price tag on them.

One option is to buy land west of the current courthouse and build an annex to house some of the county government functions. That option continues to make use of the historic courthouse itself, but it would only have to house a reduced number of county operations and functions. Not counting the land purchase and construction costs, that option would necessarily involve investing a considerable amount of money in renovations and remodeling of the original building and offices.

There are a number of people, not just in Hermann and the northern part of Gasconade County, who adamantly believe that the courthouse should remain, well the courthouse. That option would appease those residents, which include a surprising number from the southern regions of the county as well as those who live “up there.”

A second option would be to locate a suitable parcel of land, negotiate its purchase, and then build an entirely new, modern facility to house county government operations. That option likely would siphon off more tax dollars than Option No. 1.

A third option, which already has met with heated opposition and a successful lawsuit to keep it off the ballot because of alleged petition signature gathering irregularities, is for the county to accept a free offer of the former Gasconade County R-2 School District’s former Elementary School 3-5 Center for conversion into a county government center. At least part of the opposition appears to be that the 3-5 Center is located in Owensville, not Hermann.

And although the building and grounds are being offered to the county at no charge, readying that facility to house county government operations bears a considerable cost, even if the entire building is not immediately utilized for that purpose.

At this point, I want to reiterate that this is not an issue of “North vs. South.”

It’s an issue of what best serves Gasconade County and all of its residents. Having the center of county government in Owensville would of course be handier for south-county residents who had some business with a county office. It would be inconvenient for residents of Hermann and the majority of county employees and office holders.

But the former 3-5 Center would meet the needs of this county’s governmental operations now and for many years to come.

However, all of the options presented appear to be viable, and achievable. All that really remains to be done is for voters to select one of those options and then begin working together to solve the problem.

Oh, yeah. There is one more thing: open your wallets.