County ponders building use

At the Feb. 1 Regular meeting of the Grimes County Commissioners Court, commissioners tabled two items related to the use of county buildings. The first was the Grimes County Historical Commission (GCHC) request to be allowed to use the old county clerk’s office for office space and storage. The second involved after-hours use of the historic courthouse for a wedding.

Finding a “home”

Outlining the needs and vision of GCHC, chair Mary Ann Waters told commissioners, “We’re seeking to find a facility to call home.”

“Home” would include a location to hold executive board and general meetings, a work area to document artifacts, storage of artifacts and documents required by the Texas Historical Commission. Other uses include training sessions on the care of artifacts and how to comply with THC standards, and eventually open to the public as a museum. 

Waters said, “We need some place that will be secure, possibly climate controlled, fireproof or somewhat fireproof.”

Long range plans include a computerized database of Grimes County artifacts and documents and their location, accessible to the public. 

According to Waters, GCHC is currently recording oral histories of Grimes County residents and said, “We need a place to record these interviews but we also need a place where we can set up equipment so the public can come in and hear these recordings.”

She said, “I get multiple calls wanting information about a certain area, a certain time or a certain person in Grimes County, but I have no way to get this information to them because it’s all in boxes. We don’t really know what we have. That is why it’s important that we get a facility and have it available.”

The idea of utilizing the old county clerk’s building was approached several years ago. 

Waters said of the now vacant building, “It does not have a historic designation, but we feel it’s historic to Grimes County and Anderson because it was the bank that was here many, many years ago. At this time, it’s being occupied by the elections administrator. She has election equipment in there. She was stating that she did not want to give us access to the building, that she wants to retain the whole building.”

Space constraints

Newly appointed Election Administrator Rachel Walker’s office is in the historic courthouse, but some election items are stored in the old county clerk’s office, the third floor of the historic courthouse and a shipping container. Walker would like it all in one location.

According to Walker, the building is a little over 2,000 square feet, of which Elections would occupy 648 square feet leaving GCHC the remaining 1,350 square feet which “is insufficient to work in and prepare for elections.”

Walker said Building Maintenance Manager Rodney Floyd’s minimum cost estimate to split the building and make both sides secure is $10,000.

Walker said, “Based on Mary Ann’s request to open the building to the public for a museum, we’ll have to come back in compliance with the American with Disabilities Act and we’re looking at an approximate cost of $200,000 or more to do that. Once we moved out of the building and it became vacant…if we want to invite the public back into the building, we now have to come up to par with ADA compliance rules.”

Walker said, “I’m not against sharing. It’s just that the way the building is laid out, this right side and left side, the square footage and the space, it’s just not going to be enough to efficiently run my department, house our storage, work in there and get ready for elections.” 

Floyd weighed in via Zoom and estimated $60-$80 per square foot to redo the entire building but added, “Once you start opening to public it brings out a separate set of guidelines.”

Commissioner Barbara Walker called for tabling action pending a workshop on county properties.

After hours wedding

Judge Joe Fauth advised that a county resident had requested use of the historic courthouse on a Saturday evening for a wedding. Weddings are currently being performed during normal work hours, but Fauth said the question is whether or not to make it available after hours and how the rules would be structured.

County attorney Jon C. Fultz outlined the issues to be addressed which included occupancy threshold, opening and closing, cleaning, scheduling and liability but considers security and how it’s provided as the primary focus. As an occupant of an office in the historic courthouse, Fultz said there is no security sweep in place now, but another aspect of security is dealing with fights and alcohol related incidents.

When the use of the Justice Center by several organizations was mentioned, Fultz urged consistency. 

Rodney Floyd stated that courthouse scheduling is not a function of his department but is handled by the county judge’s office.

Commissioner Walker recommended adding the item to the county property workshop.

Meetings may be viewed in their entirety at https://www.facebook.com/GrimesCountyCourtHouse.