Ducktown courthouse closed

  • Polk County commissioners, from left, Keith Barker, Mush Davis, Greg Brooks, Shane Bowman and Joe Akins, met at the old Polk County Courthouse in Ducktown Tuesday, November 29. They decided to close the building to the public immediately because of numerous unsafe conditions and to begin efforts to replace the aging structure.
    Polk County commissioners, from left, Keith Barker, Mush Davis, Greg Brooks, Shane Bowman and Joe Akins, met at the old Polk County Courthouse in Ducktown Tuesday, November 29. They decided to close the building to the public immediately because of numerous unsafe conditions and to begin efforts to replace the aging structure.
  • Damage such as this, fallen ceiling tiles, holes in the ceiling and black mold, are common throughout the old Polk County Courthouse in Ducktown. The building was closed last week by county commissioners.
    Damage such as this, fallen ceiling tiles, holes in the ceiling and black mold, are common throughout the old Polk County Courthouse in Ducktown. The building was closed last week by county commissioners.

    The Polk County Courthouse in Ducktown was permanently closed Wednesday, November 30, after the county commission’s Building and Grounds Committee concluded that the building is not safe. Committee members also agreed the courthouse must be replaced quickly.

    Members of the committee gathered in an emergency meeting Tuesday evening, November 29, which was only days after a piece of the courthouse ceiling fell in a bathroom, causing the latest safety concern.

    Committee members previously met at the courthouse October 20 after the only contractor who would consider fixing the building’s roof said a structural engineer should study the building first. Ideas were discussed then for addressing problems, but no action was taken.

    The November 29 walk through convinced the committee – Greg Brooks, Keith Barker, Joe Akins, Mush Davis and Shane Bowman – that immediate action is needed for the safety of the county’s citizens.

    Currently, General Sessions and Juvenile Court, and Grand Jury meetings are held in the building.

    Committee members agreed to have a plan for a temporary location to house those proceedings prior to the full commission meeting December 17. Then, within 60 days, members agreed to have a permanent plan to build a new courthouse.

    “This building ain’t safe,” Akins said as committee members considered all the visible problems with the old courthouse. Those included several areas where pieces of the ceiling had fallen, extensive water damage in the walls, and visible black mold throughout the building.

    Davis agreed with Akins, saying the county should “shut this down tonight.”

    Barker said there needed to be a commitment to build a new courthouse, and the committee members unanimously agreed. The full commission will have to approve that move.

    Bowman said, referring to the problem, “This side of the mountain has got to be fixed.”

    “We don’t want nothing took away from nobody,” Akins said. He said he had talked to General Sessions Judge Brooklynn Townsend who said court could be moved to Benton, but that could only be for a few months.

    Akins was to talk with Townsend and see what the requirements would be for a temporary fix somewhere on he East side of the county. Barker said security had to be a concern.

    Brooks, who is chairman of the Building and Grounds Committee, said he would have the courthouse added to the December 17 agenda of the full commission.