
Manitowoc County Executive Bob Ziegelbauer termed it a “once in a century project.”
During an appearance, last Friday on 107.9 FM WOMT’s Be My Guest program, the county executive outlined the need to renovate the courthouse dome and the 2nd floor and up portion of the 116-year-old building, along with HVAC and window replacement.
“We will propose it to the county board as a three-year project, so whenever the board gets a consensus to go along with that we’ll do it,” he told host Lee Douglas. “I’m proposing it in the fall and it’s estimated to use $27 to $30 million.”
Ziegelbauer went on to explain “this renovation project is very important. We have a responsibility to keep up the building. It’s not a luxury at all to preserve the building and the courthouse for a long term.”
He added, “We looked at this (renovation) for a long time, but we can the project now because our debt is so low.”
Ziegelbauer said they can borrow the money for the courthouse renovation and pay it off in 20-to-25 years.
The consultants’ reports and updates are on the Manitowoc County website.