Daviess County Fiscal Court construction in December will bring in new offices

OWENSBORO, Ky. (WEHT) — After 6 weeks of asbestos remediation, the Daviess County Fiscal Court office has officially been cleared out. The nearly $5 million project will build new offices, renovate the courtroom and install an HVAC system. Officials say office construction will begin next week.

Before the demolition, the rooms were separated by makeshift walls to create storage spaces.

When plans to replace the courthouse’s boiler system with an HVAC system began, staff felt it would be the perfect time to rethink the office layout.

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“It’s quite nice. I came here yesterday and just passed by. The first time I saw it with all the walls removed…pretty interesting looking at the scars or whatever on the floor where the rooms were,” says Daviess County Judge/Executive Charlie Castlen.

In the next room, they will put the finishing touches on the courtroom ceiling and complete the installation of new lighting. Officials hope the next tax court meeting can take place in December.

Officials say completing the renovations and installing a new heating and air system at the same time will save them more than $400,000.

“The contractor will come in and lay out the floor plan. The electrical contractor will come and remove all the electricity that is currently in place. We had a popcorn ceiling in the building. It was a hard ceiling covered in pulverized asbestos,” said Joe Paul Bickett, tax court project manager.

Asbestos was often used in building construction before the 1970s. Bickett says eliminating carcinogenic materials was new territory for them. Although it took longer than expected, he says it shouldn’t affect the June deadline.

Officials say moving the layout will create 2 additional offices for future hires. The new renovation will also make way for an ADA-compliant hallway and more space in each office.

The Tax Court Registry is using a temporary location at 221 Allen Street as part of this process. The building generally serves as the county’s emergency management building.

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