Commissioner details plans to repair statue outside of courthouse
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ELKINS -- Randolph County Commissioner David Kesling has offered details about a new project the County Commission is beginning.
Kesling announced during the reports section of the meeting that repairs need to be made to one of the statues outside the historic Randolph County Courthouse, as well as to the building's bell tower.
During a powerpoint presentation, Kelsing detailed a planned project that will fix both issues. He first talked about the Lady Justice copper statue that is situated in front of the courthouse.
"Lady Justice on the front of the courthouse has been standing where she is for about 122 years," Kesling said. "The recent weather storms that we have had have done some major damage to her. And over the years her back has been hit by ice falling off the roof, which has also caused some damage. We've had to recently strap the statue to the building because she was moving when he had high winds. Her base and foot are cracked, and she has also lost a finger."
Kesling said the base of the statue also has cracks in it and that the County Commission hosted a tour with the Mills Group last week. The Mills Group is an architecture, planning, and preservation firm out of Morgantown.
"We contacted the Mills Group and they came out this week," Kesling said. "They are looking to see how they can use some scaffolding to go up and get her and bring her down. There's a place in Morgantown that we are going to send her to and get her fixed and all cleaned up so we can get the copper back to the way it used to be. It is going to be a major expense for the county, but it is something that we've gotta do and something we need to do to protect her."
Kesling said he has also been concerned about the county courthouse's bell tower, so while the Mills Group was evaluating the statue, he had them take a look at the tower as well.
"We haven't had the bell tower inspected since I've been here, and if that bell ever came down it would go right into some offices," said Kesling. "We had a contractor from the Mills Group check it and the bell itself doesn't have any cracks and it is in good shape. It is mounted and safe, the only thing we have issues with in the bell tower and we need to address is some of the bricks around it. A lot of the mortar has come out around the bricks so we have to replace the mortar. And we are going to redo the lightning rod up there and get the fencing repaired that keeps the pigeons out."
The next Randolph County Commission meeting will be Tuesday, April 16 at 1:30 p.m. Commission meetings are typically held on Thursdays, but this meeting was moved to coincide with laying the levy rate.