Courthouse expected to be dry by Tuesday

An assessment of the costs to repair water-damaged areas in the Flathead County Courthouse continues following Tuesday morning’s heating system malfunction that set off a fire sprinkler.

Engineers met Thursday to review data about what allowed the building’s heating system to overheat and set off the fire sprinkler, causing water damage on all three floors of the 108-year-old building.

An insurance adjuster for Martel Construction, the general contractor on the recently completed $2.7 million courthouse renovation, was inspecting the building Thursday, county Administrator Mike Pence said. No damage estimates have been released.

Pence said the county’s insurance company will assess damage as well.

Meanwhile, 70 high-velocity fans, multiple dehumidifiers and several water-removal floor mats continue to run in the courthouse.

Dehumidifiers have been set up in the building’s dirt crawl space, venting air outside through tunnels, county Maintenance Director Jed Fisher said.

Fisher has been in the crawl space several times this week. “It’s slightly damp,” he said, “but there is no standing water.”

A vapor barrier will be installed in the crawl space to prevent moisture from penetrating any walls or floors. The renovation project uncovered a long-standing water collection problem in the crawl space. Water had eroded some mortar between the building’s stone foundation, all of which was replaced during renovation.

The drying equipment is to remain in place until Tuesday morning when county personnel will meet with Rainbow Restoration and Cleaning staffers and the architect and contractor to assess moisture levels. County offices are closed Monday.

It’s expected the water will be out of all carpets and walls by then, Fisher said. In that case, Rainbow Restoration workers will remove the drying equipment and the reconstruction process will begin.

It appears that the only items that will need to be replaced are ceiling panels.

Some baseboards were removed from walls to speed the drying process. Those must be replaced and some cosmetic touch-up painting is anticipated along with cleanup work, CTA Architects Engineers Project Manager Corey Johnson said.

No cracks have shown up in any plaster walls, Johnson said.

CTA this week will provide the county recommendations for safety features and outline steps that should prevent the heating system from ever again experiencing extreme temperatures, Johnson said. But, he said, the steps already taken this week, including the installation of higher-rated fusible links throughout the system, have addressed many of those measures.

The heating system has operated properly since Tuesday afternoon.

“My main goal is to make sure this never happens again, and to assure taxpayers it won’t happen again,” Fisher said.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.