This week the Cowley County Extension Office is packing up in preparation for a move to a temporary space in the county-owned State Bank building located at 321 E. Tenth.
The extension office’s move is a necessary part of the jail construction process wrapping up at the county courthouse. As the main section of the jail nears completion, contractors are moving into the east wing installing doors and shoring up walls.
County extension agent Jeremy Nelson said the move is a chance to clear out old items that are no longer needed.
“I made six trips to the dumpster today,” said Nelson Wednesday. The extension office has already disposed of a lot of old items “from the 1970s and 1980s.”
Nelson’s office, which handles agricultural research and farm extension programs through K-State, is scheduled for remodeling. The office will get a new doorway for the convenience of its patrons, according to county administrator Leroy Alsup.
“They are getting an outside entrance that will give patrons (better access) to their office and their meeting room,” said Alsup.
Existing bathrooms adjacent to the extension office and assembly room will be renovated and expanded.
Extension office employees must vacate the premises partly for convenience – so that construction does not interfere with their daily work – but also to avoid exposure to asbestos located in some floor tiles and the ceiling, said Alsup.
“Asbestos was used in construction in the 1950s and 1960s,” said Alsup. “It’s a (health) issue when asbestos dust becomes airborne.”
Eventually, the courthouse will be cleared of all asbestos tiling, said Alsup. But that project is probably several years down the road. However, county officials have a plan for funding the asbestos removal. Revenue from an estimated 100 inmates from outside agencies could bring in enough money to fund a larger scale courthouse remodel.
Until then, county employees are doing what they can to stay out of the way of progress. Most county offices have endured paint fumes, construction noise and dust over the past year as contractors began installation of the new jail.
Nelson’s plan is to pack up the office’s necessities – while shedding what’s old and outdated – and head across the street where the office will do business for the next two months. The extension office will close just before Thanksgiving, Nov. 20-21, to allow employees to move. The office will reopen at its new temporary location on Monday, Nov. 26.
“As soon as the jail’s done, the contractor should be able to get started on our (office),” said Nelson.
County officials now expect construction to be completed by January 2008. Contractors are currently waiting for hardware such as door locks and other components made by only two manufacturers in the country, officials said. With a number of jails going up in the United States, demand for those components is high.
Thirty-five days of bad weather also slowed down construction progress, Alsup said.
