Time to read
1 minute
Read so far

Montgomery receives THC award

0 comments

Retiring county judge Ross Montgomery was presented with a special award during Monday afternoon’s open house to show off the new repairs and restoration of the Shackelford County Courthouse.

Sharon Fleming, director of the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program for the Texas Historical Commission, commended Montgomery for his diligence in caring for the 134-year-old structure.

“Beginning, ending, and during his 24-year tenure, Ross Montgomery has been a steadfast preservation advocate and leader in restoring the county’s courthouse, pursuing the opportunities to participate in both state and federal grant programs and setting a standard for THC’s courthouse grant and stewardship programs,” said Fleming during the presentation. “His courthouse stands as a testimony to the enduring value of county courthouses to our state’s outstanding collection and their local identity. It remains a treasured and respected landmark that will be preserved and protected forever.”

The Shackelford County Courthouse was the first such building in the state to be completed after the creation of THC’s Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program, and under Montgomery’s leadership, was awarded a grant of $1,765,000 with a local match of about $250,000.

The project, completed in mid-2001, included restoration of the courtroom, lower hallway, and offices, updating of plumbing and electrical systems, replacement of metal windows, installation of energy-efficient heating and cooling, and meeting handicapped accessibility requirements.

The most recent project, approved by county commissioners in July 2017 and finished just last week, was not funded by a grant but a $1.3 million bond, with Premier Metalwerks awarded the contract .

It covered repair of leaking wood windows, repair/replacement of the roof and ornamental metal along the roof edge, replacement of the clock mechanism, wood floor and plaster wall repair, and stabilization of the wood handrail of the main interior staircases.

In a commissioners meeting prior to Monday’s open house, the final application for payment by the contractor was approved.

Added to the original contract sum of $1,219,720 were change orders adding up to $156,164 for a total of $1,375,884.

Everything was paid out of the bond amount except for about $2,000, according to county treasurer Tammy Brown.