COMMISSION CONSIDERS LIMESTONE ALTERNATIVES

CHARLESTON -- The Mississippi County Commission spent their time discussing alternatives after rejecting last week's shipment of limestone delivered to the county by Architectural Stone Sales of Bedford, Ill.

Jim Blumenberg, presiding commissioner, explained during Thursday's commission meeting that the shipment was received as promised, but that at least half of the stone blocks were "top cap" pieces that would still not allow the county to continue exterior construction, as the top cap pieces could not be used until lower rows were completed.

According to commissioners, on July 16 a representative of C.A. Walker Construction Co. and the brick layer, Charlie Roberts of Dexter, visited a vendor in Searcy, Ark., who supplies precast limestone, to assess the product.

Samples of the precast limestone were shipped and due to arrive Thursday of this week. Bill Green, courthouse architect, advised that he would bring the samples to the East Prairie courthouse for inspection by the commission when they arrived.

Green also apprised the commission of another company in Dallas, Texas, that he had researched as an alternate supplier.

Green said that the Dallas vendor appears to be a better choice, and are more capable as they have been in the business longer and have more production. The Dallas vendor also promised the first shipment within two weeks -- a week earlier than the Searcy vendor.

If either vendor delivered their first shipment as promised, workers could be laying brick by August, and the exterior could be completed by Nov. 1, according to Green.

A recent report on the courthouse construction progress indicated that the project was just over half-way completed as of the end of June, according to commissioners. The original project completion date was estimated at July 5 of this year.

Green said he would check both the compression strength and the moisture absorption properties of the precast limestone to ensure the material was acceptable for the courthouse.

The stone and brick wall will be a veneer, and not a roof-bearing wall, although the stone will support the weight of the brick, Green explained.

Green said "the life-expectancy is very little different than the brick" for the precast limestone, and was comprised of sand, mortar, and ground or crushed stone, and would have aggregate no bigger than BBs.

Commissioner Homer Oliver noted that marble bathroom counters are the most common example of an aggregate precast material.

In regards to aesthetics, Green said he doesn't think anyone will be able to tell the difference between mason-cut and precast limestone.

In other courthouse construction business, Junior DeLay, county clerk, explained that statutes dictate that the county may not directly borrow money for construction costs. A loan will be secured by the Public Facility.

Corporation, and payments made through a lease purchase, as done with the recently constructed detention center.

The lease purchase construction loan will alleviate the cash flow problem, and provide the construction money to pay C.A. Walker Construction Co., according to DeLay.

DeLay also advised that attorneys are researching whether the Public Facility Corporation may receive charitable contributions under its present status with the Internal Revenue Service. DeLay said that if they find they are not eligible, that the application to become so will be filed toward that purpose.

The commission also asked Green if the recessed light fixtures to be installed in the drywall ceiling of the courtroom had been released yet. Green explained that the supplier had submitted a bid on the entire contract, and would not release partial shipments to prevent customers from canceling items listed on the bid.