Clark County Courthouse Demolition Underway

Clark County Courthouse Demolition Underway

By Mike Scott

“Our demolition contractor has started,” said Clark County Eastern District Commissioner Jerry Neyens during the Thursday, December 23 meeting of the County Commissioners. “And the courthouse is in worse shape than we thought.”
“There are more and bigger cracks than what we thought,” added Western District Commissioner.
The demolition work has started despite the objections of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, which provided the county with a $57,500 grant to stabilize the building.
Asked if that situation had been resolved, Neyens responded, “That is still in litigation at this time. That’s all we can say.”
Missouri Attorney General spokesperson Nancy Gonder confirmed that the state was in “negotitions” with the county.
The commissioners hope to begin seeking construction bids for the new courthouse in January.
As 2010 winds down, the commissioners also reported that they had completed bridge projects 118 and 177, and they have started removing the bridge on Road 151.
The county received approximately $200,000 from FEMA for storm damages, and hopes to get an additional five projects funded.
Outgoing Presiding Commissioner Paul Allenwas asked if he had any final comments. He said, “It has been a great four years, and I’m proud of our accomplishments.