GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – The original iconic Brown County Courthouse dome is ready to undergo quite an overhaul.
Phase 1 of the restoration process started on Monday with consultants on site assessing the condition of the existing dome.
Public works architect Doug Marsh says the needs assessment will take 3-5 days and explains what they will be looking for.
“We’re going to be looking at existing conditions, doing ultimately some structural analysis of the courthouse dome, looking at some forensic material investigation, as well as re-verifying the scope of work and the cost of construction we plan on doing next year.” Some of the updates include replacing the copper dome, restoring the limestone exterior below the dome, along with the historic clock faces.
But there are still plenty of decisions to be made.
“I think it’s going to look a lot brighter and a lot shinier than it does right now. One decision that’s going to have to be determined is whether to seal it and keep it copper bright or to let it patina and green over time,” explains Marsh.
The cost of the dome is estimated between $1.2 and $2 million dollars.
“This is a county project, so it will be coming from the Brown County budget and it will be bonded for 2017,” says Marsh.
The needs assessment will take a couple of months to complete. Phase 2 will begin in December and the construction process will start in the spring.
The entire project is slated to be completed by October of 2017.
