MARSHALL - The county has announced a new temporary site for its courthouse operations after its Main Street courthouse was severely damaged in Tropical Storm Helene, and it continues its plans for building a new complex.
The temporary site will be established in the field behind the N.C. Cooperative Extension Office, in the fields across from the Madison County fairgrounds site.
County Manager Rod Honeycutt said the temporary facility will be 11,000 square feet.
"Our main courthouse in Marshall sustained significant damage. The first floor is unusable," Honeycutt said.
The existing courthouse, which was built around 1908 and is one of the oldest operation courthouses in the state, is on the National Registry of Historic Places, and as such, is subject to guidelines and regulations. Honeycutt said a master historian working with the county visited the site earlier this month.
According to the county manager, the timeline for the completion of the Main Street courthouse repairs is 24 to 40 months.
In November, the county manager informed the Madison County Board of Commissioners of a number of potential sites for temporary courthouse operations, including a spot behind the N.C. Cooperative Extension on Carolina Lane, near the fairgrounds.
According to Honeycutt, the county has begun procurement procedures to obtain a temporary courthouse operations at that site on Carolina Lane, along with modular office spaces.
Honeycutt said FEMA performed an assessment of the downtown Marshall courthouse.
Honeycutt said the county paid ServiceMaster of Buncombe County more than $471,000 to tear sheet rock and flooring out, adding that furniture along the first floor of the building was destroyed, and mud had washed up under the floor joists in the basement.
Honeycutt said the county will operate the temporary courthouse for one to two years, but the agreement to move back into the existing courthouse is contingent upon FEMA's approval, as the downtown Marshall location is in a floodplain.
According to Honeycutt, FEMA has requested a cost analysis for the temporary courthouse.
"A cost analysis means you're looking at different methods of procurement, for a lease or buy," Honeycutt said. "The second course of analysis is whether it is more economically feasible to purchase or lease these facilities, no more than 35 months."
The county manager said FEMA will fund the temporary courthouse only for the amount of time it takes to rebuild or move to a different facility.
Honeycutt said the county planned to put out the request for proposal the week of Dec. 16.
The request for proposals will request assessments on purchase and leases for the 11,000-square-foot courthouse and six modular office spaces.
Other county buildings
In addition to the $471,000 spent with ServiceMaster of Buncombe County at the Main Street courthouse, the county also was responsible for cleanup of a number of other county-owned buildings, including the Sprinkle Shelton building, located on Bridge Street near the county department of social services offices in downtown Marshall, and the Hot Springs Library.
Honeycutt said the county's insurance company placed a cap of $1 million for payouts on repairs to these three buildings.
Board of Commissioners Vice Chair Jeremy Hensley asked Honeycutt why the county cleaned the Sprinkle Shelton building, knowing it was going to be a total loss by the county insurance company, FEMA and county building inspectors.
"We are demolishing it. We are responsible for that," Honeycutt said. "Under mitigation, FEMA can buy that building. But we have not entered into that phase of the discussion yet."
According to Honeycutt, the county is waiting to hear back from the National Register of Historic Places team to determine what the facade of the Sprinkle Shelton building needs to look like, as well as what the county should do behind the walls of the building.
"There are two private properties affected by the Sprinkle Shelton building, and that was part of the discussion (Dec. 10) with FEMA, when we say that it's a loss and demolished the whole building, because it's kind of two other buildings," Honeycutt said. "The interior walls are shared with two private entities."
The flooring on the ground level went through to the basement floor as a result of the floods, according to Honeycutt.
According to the county manager, the next step will be to get engineering and architectural assessments for estimated costs associated with rebuilding these structures, and then submitting those to FEMA for reimbursement.
Honeycutt said FEMA would reimburse the county for the costs associated with the assessments, as well.
The board of commissioners vice chair wanted to hear clarification on whether FEMA was guaranteed to reimburse the county though.
"For the last two or three months, you've said a lot about, 'It's FEMA-reimbursed," Hensley said. "Are we guaranteed this money, or are we just hoping?"
Board attorney Donny Laws said the competence of the county staff would help ensure the county receives its full compensation.
"You've got an excellent staff," Laws said. "You've got (Finance Director) Kary (Ledford). You've got (Assistant to the County Manager) Mandy (Bradley), and (Grants Coordinator) Hannah (Shelton) and your county manager are attending these FEMA meetings that happen every week. Then FEMA sets up a ton of seminars and virtual meetings, and they provide you with materials to say, 'If you want FEMA monies, this is what you have to do.'
"So, there's a lot of red tape to it. But they do an excellent job of giving you this information. Now, you've got to read it, and you've got to know what you've got. They're there to help you. But if you don't take advantage of it, then you risk not getting the reimbursement."