By Andrew Weeks
PORT TOWNSEND — After more than 100 years, the Jefferson County Courthouse clock tower will receive a facelift when a $2.4 million rehabilitation project kicks off next spring.
The clock tower project is the first phase of a $20 million to $30 million rehabilitation of the entire courthouse.
Currently, there isn’t a timeline for completion of the larger project, said Gordon Ramstrom, Public Works Department architectural project coordinator, though the clock tower is slated for completion in fall 2006.
He said awarding construction bids likely won’t happen until February.
“The major issue here is that the tower is not constructed to modern standards,” said county Central Services Director Allen Sartin.
“There’s not a lot of reinforcement.
“Basically, all that is holding the tower up is gravity. That’s not good when you get high winds.”
Engineers in the past have feared the tower might be damaged or topple from a wind gust of 70 mph.
Reinforcing the tower also will better protect the courthouse and its occupants against earthquake damage, Sartin said.
Silent clock to be fixed
Rehabilitation efforts will consist of structural support, including new brickwork, reinforced steel floors, weatherproofing and preservation of the existing structure.
And, of course, fixing the clock’s bell, which was shut off in August when a mechanism inside the clock went haywire, causing the bell to sound repeatedly.