Overstreet said the work is absolutely necessary and long overdue. The Heritage Commission hired Technical Engineering Consultants of Knoxville to inspect the courthouse and point out places where structural damage threatens the building. The report notes the building's warped floors, buckled walls and insufficient framing support. One of the biggest problems stems from the last renovation project about five years ago. Overstreet said a contractor improperly installed a new roof that dumps water onto the porticos rather than into interior gutters.
Water also pours into the gaps between the twin brick walls that make up a portion of the structure.
This is the second time in the past quarter-century the courthouse has faced the possibility of destruction. Just after a new courthouse was built one block to the east in 1973, the Roane County Commission planned to raze the structure. The Roane County Heritage Commission was formed to save the building, and in 1975 the County Commission gave the group the deed to the property. All public money is earmarked for the restoration, Overstreet said. Overstreet said the Heritage Commission has hired a professional fund-raiser and is asking local businesses and individuals to contribute.