Tours of county courthouse scheduled

Community members will have an opportunity to tour the aging Union County Courthouse in Jonesboro prior to a vote which could generate funding for a new facility.

Plans for tours of the courthouse were announced at this week’s regular meeting of the Union County Board of Commissioners. The meeting, the first of 2010 for the commissioners, was at the courthouse.

Tours are scheduled on two upcoming Mondays: Jan. 11 and Jan. 25.

The Jan. 11 tours are planned from 9 a.m. to noon. Tours on Jan. 25 are scheduled from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The tours are designed to give community members an up-close look at the courthouse prior to the Feb. 2 primary election in Union County.

On Feb. 2, voters will be asked to approve a 1 percent sales tax increase.

Funds generated by the increase, should it be approved, would be earmarked for construction of a new courthouse.

The increase would generate in the range of $900,000 to $1 million a year.

A new facility is expected to cost in the range of $17 million.

Members of a courthouse committee which was appointed by the county board are scheduled to be present to lead the upcoming tours.

Committee members have put in many hours of volunteer time looking at options regarding the future of the structure.

The original part of the courthouse dates to 1857. Several additions have been made to the courthouse over the years.

County officials have been meeting with a variety of local groups and organizations to discuss the need for a new courthouse.

Other Business

In other business at this week’s meeting:

Discussion continued on plans to collect unpaid fines and court costs owed to the county.

Union County State’s Attorney Tyler Edmonds is drafting a contract that will allow the matter to proceed with help from a private collection agency.

The commissioners approved a proposal from Union County Clerk Bobby Toler Jr. to change the polling place for Anna Precinct 7.

The precinct’s new polling place will be at the Strike Zone Bowling Center, which is scheduled to open soon in east Anna. The bowling center is located at 1000 Enterprise Dr.

The polling place for Anna 7 had been located in a now-closed business.

County officials continue to work on lining up a contractor to install new guttering and downspouts at the courthouse.