Perry County Tribune:
Why Are the Steps Closed Again?
This article, written by Ben Carpenter, was first published in The Perry County Tribune on January 29, 2018.
We have had several folks questioning what was going on with the new steps and why were they closed again.
I would guess that anyone driving through New Lexington on a wintery day noticed the caution tape across the new Court House steps. Or more recently some red and white signs stating the steps were closed and to please us the side entrance. So, questions asking what was going on with the new steps and why were they closed again are perfectly understandable.
Just a quick review; The old court house steps were found to be hazardous and beyond repair in August of 2014, and the steps were closed and work began to reconstruct them.
Every possible detail was considered in order to reconstruct the entire steps to meet modern standards for riser height and tread width, and safety while matching with the original and historic design of the Perry County Court House. In order to match the rest of the Court house and match the historic nature of the building, the materials used for the surface of the steps and side walls is all-natural stone. The reconstruction project was completed and the steps reopened in March of 2017. The total project cost including the new lights was, $568,060.82.
So why are the steps closed? They are closed because they are covered with snow and ice and that makes them a safety hazard.
The stone that the steps are made of and the adhesive sealer are reactive to salt or other calcium products used to melt snow. If our custodial/maintenance staff puts salt or some other type of ice melt on the steps it will create, and erosive plucking of the stone the sealant, and also negatively impact the adhesive between the steps.
Our first priority is of course public safety. We want to take every precaution to insure the entrances to all our public buildings are safe and free of snow and ice during the winter months. Our second priority is protecting the half million-dollar investment the County made in those beautiful new steps. If we use salt or some type of ice melt we could potentially see damage that would require maintenance in as little as 20 years. As Commissioners we just don’t see the wisdom in that course of action.
Therefore we, your County Commissioners have decided to close the steps during times when the steps are unsafe due to snow and ice. In a snow event our maintenance staff will shovel the snow from the steps as much as possible and close the steps until the temperature warms enough to melt the snow and ice naturally. We all endured the closure of the steps for 31 months during the reconstruction. The side entrance along Brown Street will always be open. When the signs are placed at the bottom of the stairs outside, the entrance doors at the top of the stairs is also locked. This is to insure no one exits the court house and happens to walk down slippery steps.
The original steps lasted 100 years. With the recommended proper maintenance, we should expect no less than another 100 years from the new steps.
