The Clarendon Enterprise

From our March 22, 2001, edition.

Courthouse project gets started this week

Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

The $2.9 million renovation of the Donley County Courthouse is now underway.

Workers from Environmental Reconditioning of El Paso began removing asbestos from the 1890 building Monday morning.

The abatement process is being overseen by Sun City Analytical, also of El Paso.

Sun City’s operations manager, Hector Diaz, says the abatement crews will be working in 10-hour shifts, four days a week. The company has 30 calendar days to complete the removal of asbestos and bat guano and encapsulation of lead paint in the courthouse.

The crew will work on the asbestos all this week, which Diaz says is mostly contained in the flooring and in some insulation in the basement.

Removal of the guano is scheduled to start next week. Crews will reportedly remove the malodorous stuff using vacuum cleaners and then sterilize the building using a chlorine solution.

Lead paint on the ceilings will largely be encapsulated.

In other courthouse news, the commissioners’ court agreed last Monday to auction any salvage or surplus property resulting from the renovation project. A date for the auction and the items to be sold have not been determined.

Commissioners also agreed to look into the possibility of more state funding for the project. The Texas Historical Commission reportedly has a limited amount of funds to make small additional grants to counties having already received approval for courthouse grants.

To learn more about the restoration of the Donley County Courthouse, click here.