The Pottawatomie County Courthouse is old, but does that make it worth preserving? County commissioners this week had an informational meeting at which an architect, Clint Hibbs of BG Consultants, told them that restoring and maintaining the 133-yearold Westmoreland building, the second oldest courthouse still in use in Kansas, would cost $3.64 million over 20 years. ...

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. ...

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....