Jefferson County Supervisors approve tuck pointing project

FAIRFIELD – Mike Noland of Horizon Architecture, Iowa City, presented an architectural service agreement to the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 19. The board approved the agreement.

Supervisor Daryn Hamilton and courthouse maintenance supervisor David Taft had contacted Noland to assist drawing up an overall scope of the tuck pointing project on the courthouse exterior. Noland described to the board the type of work he has done for other counties and what he offers to Jefferson County. With onsite assistance of Taft, Noland will assess water issues from the interior to the exterior, then use a 3-D laser-scan of the building.

Also, they hope to use a drone for the higher spaces such as the roof and upper wall elevations to get visual details. Noland will draw up an overall scope of the project. He will include drawings and responsibility checklists to be given to masonry contractors who desire to bid on project work orders this fall for work in the spring around April. It will be during this estimation process that Noland and Taft will be able to assess if the tuck pointing cab be done as one project or would need to be done in a few phases.

The board spoke with Noland about other possible state or federal funds that might be available at this time, and Noland will research state historical building grants that might apply to this building that opened in 1891.

Supervisor Dee Sandquist advised she has been working with local schools, public health, Pathfinders, Fairfield Economic Development Association and Indian Hills Community College on the community effort to address poverty awareness. She announced they are planning an event called 'Bridges Out of Poverty” Feb. 24, 2020, at the Fairfield High School Auditorium. The public is invited to hear about the identifiers of poverty and the skill sets young people need to be more employable in the job market. Those who work daily in our schools or community are already seeing that behaviors affect the work force shortage, such as not showing up to work on time, or not being able to pass a drug test. This event will be to get the conversation started with those who are not in daily contact with the present shift in skills needed to compete in the arising business demands.