The Grand Forks County Commission has approved a max price on the courthouse dome repair project at just over $4.4 million dollars. That’s less than the cost approved back in December.
The work will include dome replacement and restoration…window replacement…structural steel repairs…ornamental plaster repair…and a rotunda chandelier powered hoist and cable.
County Administrator Tom Ford says work will be getting underway next month.
The 109 year old dome has been leaking causing damage inside the building. The commission approved moving ahead with the project on a unanimous vote.
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Grand Forks County is ramping up efforts to find a new home for the sheriff’s department.
The GFSO is currently housed in the Grand Forks Police building – and the city has expressed a desire to expand into the second floor space. The pending move has been on the radar since 2019. The city is hoping to begin renovations in 2026.
Possible solutions for the sheriff’s department: a new building… moving into space soon to be vacated by public health…purchase a building…or rehab existing space in the old county jail.
County Administrator Tom Ford told commissioners this week that a walkthrough of the old jail is planned to see if that’s even feasible.
Sheriff Andy Schneider says none of the options come cheap. Schneider says it would be his recommendation that the commission start putting aside funding now to lessen the impact on property owners down the road.
Commissioner Bob Rost noted that the one-half cent sales tax rejected by voters in 2022 would have gone a long way in funding projects like this.
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