HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A manual elevator at the Historic Reno County Courthouse hasn’t been working for awhile and the county has been looking at what to do since it’s so old. Now, officials say it could cost as much as $150,000 to have it fixed.
The elevator is original to the building, along with a majority of the associated wiring and mechanical controls, according to Maintenance Director Harlan Depew. He says it uses a large generator that converts AC power to run the DC motor. The generator failed.
They had two options. They could remove the entire elevator and install a new one from top to bottom, or they could modernize some of the existing equipment. Officials seem to be leaning toward the latter.
County Administrator Gary Meagher says they would use capital outlay funds from the general fund but would get about 25% back from tax credits that could be sold since the courthouse is a historical building.
Depew says it won’t be fixed quickly. It could be six to eight weeks before any work is complete. The work also depends on how quickly parts can be obtained.
The Reno County Commission will formally approve the money for the elevator work.
