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You Are Here:  Lauderdale County Online --->  Latest News --->  Courthouse Work to Raise Accessibility

FLORENCE -- Lauderdale County commissioners are taking steps to make the courthouse more accessible for people with special needs.

They have approved a $235,315 contract for work inside the courthouse that is geared toward improving accessibility.

Courthouse officials said the project will keep the county in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"This is something we have been discussing and trying to do on a continuing basis,'' said Commission Chairman Dewey Mitchell, who also doubles as the county's probate judge. "We knew some renovations and updates needed to be done, and we had earmarked money for that.''

The project will be financed through the county's capital improvement fund.

Florence architect Bob Whitten inspected the courthouse and developed the plans. He said a contract with local contractor Thompson and Fisher Inc. should be signed soon and work will begin in July.

Whitten said the major part of the project will involve turning existing rooms on five courthouse floors into handicapped-accessible bathrooms. The unisex bathrooms will be built in the basement and on the second, third, fourth and fifth floors.

"The bathrooms on the first floor are all right,'' Whitten said. "The other floors are where the work is needed.''

He added that renovations will include replacing twist doorknobs to a lever type.

"This will be done on the doors that the public comes in contact with the most,'' he said.

Whitten said there will be modifications to the existing courthouse stairwell.

"In this case, we will be adding rails to the wall side of the stairwell as well as doing some modifications to the existing rails,'' Whitten said.

He said the project is expected to take 180 days.

"There's a lot of daily activity in the courthouse and the workers will be working around that activity, trying not to disrupt the public and the business of the county as much as possible,'' Whitten said.