The Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office is considering repairs.
According to the Hillsdale Daily News, part of the building is suffering from cracking, water damage, and exterior deterioration.
Lt. Jason Stiverson, the Superintendent of the Hillsdale County Jail said a recent structural analysis identified problems in the building.
“We have some brick that looks like it’s about to fall off the front of the building,” Stiverson said. “So we had a company come in and do a structural analysis to figure out what’s causing the brick to fail. Obviously, there’s water getting behind there and causing some issues.”
The Hillsdale County Sheriff commissioned the Foulke Construction Company to perform an analysis of the damage. The Sheriff’s Office was initially authorized to use a budget of up to $7,000 on the structural analysis. However, by the time Foulke Construction had finished, the analysis ended up only costing the city around $4,600.
According to Stiverson, the problem area was confined to part of the brick facade on the southern portion of the building, just outside the offices of the Sheriff’s Department. Lt. Stiverson elaborated on construction plans for the Sheriff’s office going forward.
“So we had a company do a structural analysis and give us the reasons why, and now we currently have a company working on putting a bid together to give quotes to get it fixed,” Stiverson said.
Commissioner Doug Ingles is the chair of the Hillsdale County Facilities Committee. Upon inquiry regarding potential bids from construction companies, he explained, “Bids are still in process and have not been returned. We are hoping to hear soon.”
Commissioner Brad Benzing provided more background as to the deliberation behind this project.
“It is my understanding that we have not received a quote yet on the renovations of the façade at the sheriff’s department,” Benzing said. “It is my understanding that the request was not sent out until January of this year although it was approved in the previous term of the commission.”
Restoration plans for this historic building may be unsure, but its significance to the town is not, according to Benzing.
The current sheriff’s office has stood for 67 years, providing security to the people of Hillsdale County. If all goes according to plan, this building will continue to stand.
