$2 million courthouse renovation begins

From the street, Spokane County’s 113-year-old courthouse tower looks to be in fine shape.

Up close, however, slate on the roof looks loose and in danger of falling. Gaps appear between mortar and rooflines. Evidence abounds of water leaks.

Problems in the tower were revealed in late 2006, when wind bent its steel flagpole to a slight angle. After the pole was removed, other structural problems surfaced, delaying plans to replace it.

“It was like pulling a string on a sweater. When do you stop?” said Ron Oscarson, the county’s facilities manager. “We want this to be safe and last another 100 years.”

Crews recently began the $2 million renovation of the courthouse. Half the money was provided by the state.

Three-quarters of the money will be spent on the tower. The rest will be used in other parts of the landmark.

“It’s not a place where you can just lean a ladder up and come up and go to work,” said Dave Quass, project superintendent for M.J. Takisaki Inc., the Seattle company leading the renovation.

It took crews from Talisman Construction Services about four weeks to install scaffolding.

Dale Cook is project superintendent for Talisman, which also is performing some of the masonry work. As he looked around from the scaffolding surrounding the tower’s roof, he said, “There is no such thing as a little accident up here.”

Crews have begun removing the tower roof’s damaged slate, which will be replaced. A few other features also will be removed and replicated, including dormers. Terra cotta roofs over balconies will be replaced with concrete reinforced with glass fiber.

Work is scheduled to wrap up in the fall.

“After 100 years, we’re finally getting up here and dealing with all of this,” Oscarson said.