The Overton County Board of Commissioners will begin a $1.7 million restoration plan for the historic county courthouse during the new fiscal year.
Board Co-Chair Darwin Clark said the comprehensive project will address the deteriorating condition of the building. It has not seen significant remodeling since the late 1970s. Clark said the commission has established a dedicated funding stream by allocating $100,000 annually specifically for the courthouse to ensure the restoration moves forward.
“We do have a working plan, I think we had an engineering company come and gave us an estimate of $1.7 million it would take to restore everything,” Clark said. “The brick, the windows, the doors, all that is in that proposed budget of $1.7 million.”
Clark said the first priority for the maintenance funds will be replacing the door facing the post office, which is currently in the worst condition. Clark said while the county maintains a general account for all other government-owned buildings, the commission felt it was necessary to designate these specific funds to preserve the historic courthouse, which anchors the center of the Livingston Square.
“It’s a landmark,” Clark said. “Everybody knows it was 1806 when it was erected and it was built sometime later on after that when the county was established. It was burnt once and rebuilt. And I think the last time it was remodeled was back in the 80s, 90s, something like that. I think it was a while back.”
