Occupancy laws prevent open house, weddings, class reunion

BY PHILL BARNETT
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — The opening of the Historic Martin County Courthouse has hit a delay.

The building was due to open officially June 5.

Martin County Tourism chairperson Nita Collier announced in a special board meeting May 31 that the Open House, along with several private events planned for the renovated courthouse, would have to be postponed or canceled due to permitting restrictions on public buildings to which the Historic Courthouse will now be subject.

This news was delivered to Collier by a state inspector that had come to inspect the air conditioning plans laid out by contractor Eddie Howell.

“Because we’re changing occupancy from a government building to a public building that is raising money, we cannot open the building yet,” said Collier.

“We have to get an architect or an engineer to do a design, and we have to get a permit from the state.”

Luckily, progress on renovations and improvements to the building may continue while awaiting the permits necessary for opening the facility to the public.

“We can go ahead and work as long as we’re not changing the structure in any way,” reassured Collier before opening the floor to discussion of specific renovation costs and progress.

“The process will take some time, possibly up to six months.”

Collier has already spoken with Martin County Judge/Executive Colby Kirk about locating an architect or engineer to prepare the building plans, which will need to include all necessary public safety features such as lit exit signs and fire escapes.

“I’m looking at it as a mountain in the road,” said Collier, “but I’ve climbed a lot of mountains. We just have to work through it.”

Weddings and a class reunion scheduled to take place inside the Historic Courthouse in the next sixth months will all have to be canceled.

The business currently active in the Historic Courthouse will be allowed to stay as it is not considered a public space.

Fundraising and donation-seeking efforts will also continue full steam ahead. The members of the tourism board have been sourcing donations for renovation and fundraising efforts.

The board also discussed decluttering the outside of the old courthouse, including getting rid of the four globed antique street lamps that surround it and possible uses for them in the community if they were to be removed.

Plans for the Historic Courthouse include using the main courtroom as a venue for weddings, complete with bridal suites/green rooms and a kitchen and reception area for catering, film and TV productions and comedy shows. Plans also include a commercial kitchen for canning, marketing, selling and shipping local produce in cooperation with the University of Kentucky Extension office, the CDC and the Martin County Board of Education.

The board also briefly discussed plans for the Christmas in the Mountains festival in December. Board member Linda Lou Webb told the rest of the board that the skating rink is confirmed for the festival, and a deposit has been made.

The board discussed possible placement for the skating rink, such as the front parking lot of the Martin County Business Center.