Weather Makes Installation of New Windows at Chickasaw County Courthouse a Pane

An $800,000 window replacement project for the Chickasaw County Courthouse in New Hampton was going along smoothly, until rainfall in the past week became a “pane in the glass.”

During Monday’s (09.21) Supervisors meeting, Board Chair Jacob Hackman recapped a construction meeting held last Thursday (Sept. 17), knowing heavy rains were in the forecast for the upcoming weekend.

Given the amount of rainfall (at least three inches in New Hampton last weekend), County Custodian Dave Gorman said some ground damage is inevitable.

The window replacement project was expected to take six-to-eight weeks, but the elements have slowed progress, which Hackman said raised one particular concern for the contractor, Steege Construction of Waverly.

November 11th is Veterans Day, traditionally recognized with a program and presentation by American Legion Fae Stine Post 38 of New Hampton in front of the courthouse.

With the weather concerns, both Hackman and Gorman noted windows on the north side of the courthouse would be finished first before crews work on the west side of the building, with the south side to come last.

Still, Hackman noted that eight-to-nine windows were completed in four days of work last week, which was cut short by rain on Friday (Sept. 18).