In December 2017, the Barton County Commission authorized WDM Architects to perform a structural analysis of the Barton County Courthouse. The County paid the architecture firm from Wichita $24,300 to conduct the study.
The contract stipulated that any travel and overnight expenses would be an additional cost. Barton County Administrator Phil Hathcock says the County owes an additional $532.75.
Phil Hathcock Audio
The Courthouse turned 100 years old this year and the Commission wanted to get an idea for potential repairs. Hathcock estimated it could cost anywhere from $500,000 to $1 million to fix the issues with the Courthouse. The Commission has yet to examine the structural analysis in depth, but Hathcock did not imagine the Commission would be able to do all the repairs at once.
The main issue that was found during the analysis was the four outside corners separating from the center of the building on the 4th floor.