The National Trust for Historic Preservation states that “the greenest building is the one already built.” That means that the Pottawatomie County courthouse could be fully functional for today’s needs and be environmentally friendly. In the B and G study, costs were compared for new construction and for renovation....
On April 29th, 1884, a band of gentlemen met in the offices of the Westmoreland Period newspaper to garb and form in procession to the construction site of the new Pottawatomie County Courthouse. These men were Freemasons, largely of Onaga Lodge #188 A.F. & A.M. supported by brothers from other lodges and jurisdictions in the state of Kansas. ...
Restoring the old courthouse at Westmoreland is the most expensive option for the long-term space needs of Pottawatomie County; and it still wouldn’t meet those needs. That was the message Thursday night from architect Clint Hibbs of BG Consultants, who reviewed the condition of the courthouse before a crowd of about 75 persons during a special informational meeting hosted by the Pott County Commission. ...
A special informational meeting to discuss the future of the Pottawatomie County Courthouse and other facilities needs will be held at 7 p.m. July 6 in the Sunflower Room, 612 East Campbell, Westmoreland. The meeting will be preceded by an open house and walk-through of the courthouse from 6-6:45 p.m. County Commissioners approved the special meeting as a means of providing information on the cost of restoring the 1884 structure to functionality versus replacing it with a new consolidated office building. ...
Pottawatomie County commissioners Monday heard another plea to save the county courthouse at Westmoreland. Dru Clarke, rural St. George, said the courthouse, the second oldest in Kansas behind the Chase County Courthouse at Cottonwood Falls, is part of the area’s heritage. ...
Steve Minton, rural Westmoreland, asked (Commissioner) McKee how she felt about a proposal to raze the old county courthouse as part of a long range Facility Master Plan recently conducted for the county. Minton posed the same question to Altenhofen and Commissioner Pat Weixelman last week when McKee as absent. “It’s complicated,” McKee replied. “It has to have function. It just can’t be saved. It has to function and we know it’s going to cost a considerable amount to make it functional. With enough money, anything is saveable.” ...
Razing your historic Pottawatomie County Courthouse, built in 1884, and replacing it with a new consolidated office building was one of six scenarios in a 20-year Master Facilities Plan completed by BG Consultants and is currently being considered by your County Commissioners....
Steve Minton, Westmoreland, asked commissioners to go on record as to how they felt about demolishing the county courthouse as part of a 20-year facilities plan. Both commissioners listed their status as “maybe,” pending further research and the financial feasibility of refurbishing the courthouse versus building a new structure. ...
The commissioners heard a plea from Dorothy Campbell, a long-time Westmoreland resident, to preserve the county courthouse. “Once you tear down these stone buildings that are historic, they’re gone forever,” Campbell told commissioners. “I think our courthouse is like the people of Westmoreland—plain and sturdy and it will stand forever.” Razing the 1884 courthouse and replacing it with a new consolidated office building was the recommended scenario (one of six) proposed in a 20-year Master Facilities Plan completed recently by BG Consultants. Campbell said she is looking into starting a petition to save the courthouse and also suggested the commission allow county voters to decide the structure’s future. “We appreciate the input, we really do,” Commission Chairman Pat Weixelman told Campbell. “We’ve got a lot to study.” ...
A 20-year Master Facilities Plan recommends more than $12 million in new buildings and renovations to current facilities owned by Pottawatomie County at Westmoreland. The plan, developed by BG Consultants, combines a 2015 space needs assessment and a 2016 life cycle assessment of county facilities....