Construction of an annex addition encircling the existing courthouse and upgrades to the 110-year-old building is the most expensive of three options Gasconade County voters will eventually face.

Two other options, building an entirely new government center or remodeling and adding onto the former OES 3-5 Center, also carry price tags ranging from $10 million to $6 million.

A group in Hermann is working to raise private funds to help offset the estimated $14 million it will take to refurbish the existing courthouse and construct a U-shaped annex with street-level access. That figure is noted as 2008 prices and does not include land acquisition, furnishings, or fixtures. Architects also recommended adding an additional 10-percent construction contingency on top of the 15-percent figure noted in the proposal presented June 5 to the Gasconade County Commission.

“We are going to be looking at ways to make it (suitable) for both your heart and your pocketbook,” said Debbie Weingarth, president of the Gasconade County Courthouse Society.

The group, formed at the end of March, is incorporated as a 501c3 non-profit with the goal of keeping the courthouse in Hermann and raising funds to help that cause.

“The time is not about self service it is to do what’s best for all citizens of Gasconade County,” she added.
Noting the history of using privately donated land and funds to build the courthouse, Weingarth said that spirit is what is driving the society to seek similar donations in 2008. “It’s more than bricks and mortar, it’s the spirit of how this happened,” said Weingarth. She added that the society hopes to develop a “foundation in perpetuity” which will provide public services throughout the county for years to come.

The society is in the process of purchasing the necessary ground on either side of the courthouse which will would be used for construction of the annex and improved access to the present site. A closing date had not been finalized, Weingarth said last week. Private funding was being used to acquire the land but the donor was not ready to go public yet, added Weingarth.

All three of the proposals presented by  a committee of citizens charged with developing an analysis of courthouse options  included holding facilities for jailed subjects awaiting court dates. None of the three options is designed with long-term detention facilities. That was a question asked by Max Aubuchon, Northern District Commissioner.

All three options, said Gerald Ebker, a member of the five-person analysis committee, included “secure holding rooms.” Neither of the three proposals included facilities for overnight or extended periods of detention, he said.
In response to a question from a Hermann area woman, Ebker said he did not believe there would be legal problems using a portion of the OES 3-5 Center for uses other than county government office or courthouse space.

“Some people may be interested in that being utilized,” said committee member Don Lenauer noting the extra space in the former school house which is not proposed for government use could be used as a community center.
Other options, noted Ebker, could be to demolish portions of the building which were not included in the proposed floor plan should this option be selected as the county’s government center. Answering a question from an Owensville area resident about life expectancy of either an entirely new building, Ebker said they had not really examined that issue but issue but expected any new building to be constructed for a century’s use  as has been the case of the existing courthouse. “I would hope it would be a hundred-year building,” said Ebker to those at Owensville City Hall.

The OES 3-5 Center has been pledged as a donation for a government center by Lenauer and business partner Jim Decker, also a member of the analysis committee.

The Gasconade County Courthouse Society has taken out an advertisement in this week’s Republican seeking financial support for their campaign to save the 1898 courthouse. “Don’t move, improve it!” is their motto.