October 10, 2007 Edition

Also in this issue...

Justices discuss plans for buildings

Amber Adams
Staff Writer

Justices discussed plans for the new courtroom addition to the Lawrence County Courthouse and tentative plans for the former Hutcherson Building during the Quorum Court meeting Monday evening.

County Judge Alex Latham told the court that blueprints for the addition are not ready yet, but that he does have a preliminary floor plan and hopes to have the job out for bids within a few weeks.

He said essentially what he is trying to do is build a courtroom that will meet the needs of the county for the least amount of money as possible. Sheriff Dan Ellison said he feels they have a workable plan, one that's "much better than what we've got."

Latham also informed justices of his plan to create a meeting place for the county large enough to hold 150 people in the former Hutcherson building. He said the project will "pump some life into that part of town." Some heat and air, electricity and carpentry work will have to be done, but Latham said the cost will be minimal.

The county government will have priority use of the room, but County Attorney Dick Jarboe is looking into what steps the court will have to take to allow private use of it.

In other business:

justices approved an ordinance opposing the National Animal Identification System. Kim Roush of Clay County spoke to justices regarding the program, pointing out that the costs involved could easily put small livestock operators out of business. Clay and Greene counties have already adopted similar ordinances.
the budget committee requested that Latham look over suggested changes and resubmit the budget for approval at the November meeting.
justices approved moving $3,500 from the Sheriff's Department's communication fund to his general fund. In a separate motion, they appropriated the money for the purchase of a 35-foot travel trailer for the Office of Emergency Services.
Ellison reported that the county has been approved for a CERT grant to help implement Stage II of the radio communications project.
justices discussed the speed limit for the part of Compress Road, also known as Midway Road, which is located out of the city limits. Justice Craig Stone reported that House Bill 1579, passed in the last legislative session, set the speed limit on all county roads at 40 miles per hour.
Lee Turnbull, chair of the Lawrence County Election Commission, reported that the school board election went very smoothly. He said there was a 50-percent availability on paper ballots, though few were used. A total of 666 people turned out to vote.

Click Here for help with The TD Online

The Times Dispatch on Facebook