Tuck-pointing underway on Jefferson County Courthouse

FAIRFIELD – A crew is hard at work tuck-pointing the Jefferson County Courthouse, which has forced the closure of the north and east parking lots outside the courthouse.

The father-son pair of Jeff and Cody Smith of the Illinois Bricklayers' Union were busy tuck-pointing the bricks and caulking around the windows on a sweltering Tuesday afternoon. Working outside has been rough the past few days as temperatures have soared into the 90s with heat indexes above 100.

In February 2019, the Jefferson County supervisors bonded for up to $600,000 for tuck-pointing on the courthouse.

The tuck-pointing needs to be done about every 20-30 years or the brick facade of the courthouse will degrade and need to be replaced completely. Tuck-pointing on the county's courthouse is done in sections to avoid a larger bill for the complete building.

The project is expected to last until mid- to late-October. Access to the north entrance of the building will remain open unless work prohibits its use for safety reasons.

This will be the case for access to the drop box located there as well. The south entrance will remain open for the duration of the work.