Closing the Courts: Local County Courthouse Lobby Closed For Terrazzo Floor Maintenance
The halls of justice are always open…most of the time, anyway.
A local county courthouse, however, is undergoing repairs due to a “bad batch” of terrazzo. According to the Columbia County News-Times, the Columbia County Justice Center will close off its front doors and lobby for nearly two weeks as it repairs its terrazzo flooring arrangement. The County Court, which is situated in Evans, Georgia and close to Augusta, has deemed it necessary to make $170,000 worth of repairs on its entire first-floor lobby.
The repairs were called for after court staff members noticed “bubbling” emerging from the lobby floor. This “bubbling” is most likely due to mold and other kinds of exposure. Though terrazzo is known to be non-porous and dry, the court’s lobby proves to be an exception to the rule.
In order to accommodate regular court proceedings, the Justice Center will direct people to the back entrance. Security will remain and function as normal, although now people will be led through the back of the courtroom rather than the front.
“Everything will be back-door entrance,” said county Facilities Services Special Projects Manager John Paul Stout. “It’s really come together from a logistics standpoint.”
In order to perform the repairs without disrupting court proceedings, any work that requires loud or heavy machinery will be conducted after the court closes at 5 P.M. The repairs commenced on January 10th and are scheduled for completion by the 25th.
Stout is confident that by the 26th, patrons of the court will return to a new and improved lobby. “Business will resume as usual,” said Stout.
Terrazzo is a construction material composed of marble, quartz, granite, glass, and other substances. Once terrazzo is mixed, cured, ground, and polished, it is ready to be laid on floor and wall structures. Terrazzo is known for its versatile use, eco-friendly nature, and popularity in home and office construction.
“If the terrazzo floor is an older floor and is mixed with portland cement then the bubbling is caused from moisture under the floor, this bubbling is also known as spalling,” says David Hadidian, owner Bay Shore Cleaning & Restoration. “If the terrazzo floor is a newer floor and is mixed with epoxy then the bubbling is caused from a bad batch of epoxy. The nice thing about terrazzo flooring is that it is poured in sections so only the area that is damaged needs to be removed and repoured. The court house floor will look as good as new again and the only bubbling that will be occurring is blood pressure during traffic court hearings.”
