Commissioners sign contract with Volz & Associates

By Roger Estlack

The Donley County Commissioners’ Court last week approved a contract for architectural services for the restoration of the 1890 Courthouse.

The contract was an important step for the county to keep with the project timeline set up by the Texas Historical Commission (THC).

The court met over several days in order to negotiate the best terms for the county with Volz & Associates, Inc., – the same firm which prepared the Courthouse Master Plan.

“We’re right up to date on sending things to the THC,” said County Judge Jack Hall. “We don’t plan on putting anything off.”

The contract was signed on June 14 and sets the fee of the Austin-based architect at approximately 13 percent of the project cost.

Hall said the next step for the county is to abate the asbestos and lead paint in the building. Notices for those services will be printed next week, he said.

The county is also working with 18 other counties who have received courthouse grants from the state to get the THC to change the way it plans to issue reimbursements for expenses related to the projects. The state agency has proposed to issue checks on a quarterly basis.

“I talked with Rep. (Warren) Chisum the other day to set it up where it would be paid through the comptroller’s office on a monthly basis,” Hall said.

The judge and other counties are concerned that they could end up financing huge construction costs for two or three months while waiting for payments to come in from the state. Hall expressed confidence that the payment plan would be changed.

Another hurdle the county is facing is the relocation of offices and records from the courthouse. The county has not yet found any office space to use during the project.

“We’re definitely open to suggestions,” he said.

The County Extension Service presents a particular problem, he said, because they need cooking facilities and space for their many different projects. One commissioner has reportedly suggested renting a house for the Extension Service, but Hall says no such house has been found.

In Austin last week, the county’s architects submitted the schematic design of the project to the THC.

“The schematic design recapitulates the Master Plan with more detail,” said architect John Volz. “The THC will have a two weeks to make comments, and then we’ll proceed with design development.”

In the meantime, Volz says his office is busy preparing the format for the construction documents and will be returning to Clarendon in the near future to make a more detailed assessment of the building.

“We’ll be spending a lot of time in the attic trying to determine the original roof lines,” he said, “and we’ll probably have the county excavate an area near one of the walls to determine the depth of the footings.”

Volz said any old photographs of the courthouse, especially of the interior, would be very helpful.

In May, the county was awarded a $2.9 million grant from the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program to fully restore the building.