The Monroe County commissioners authorized submitting an application for the Keystone Historic Preservation Grant to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

The $50,000 grant would be used for a feasibility study on the old jail, and the former Detective’s Center on Courthouse Square.

Commissioner John Christy said the feasibility study would help them determine what type of uses they should consider for the two buildings.

“They are the property of the county, and I’m sure will remain the property of the county,” he said. “Just to see what can be done with those two old buildings.”

The commissioners approved a few change orders. Some of them are related to the courthouse renovation project.

The first change order was with North End Electric Inc. to add $3,490 to the cost to repair a roof mounted exhaust fan on the Safety Center’s rewiring project.

Then at the Ramsey School project, there were two change orders with George J. Hayden Inc. in Hazleton. The first was $45,576 for emergency lighting and additional power outlets, and the second was $2,442 for connections for analog voicelines. The third change order was with JBM Mechanical in Nazareth for $13,408 for condensate pumps and core drilling.

John Moyer, the vice chairman of the commissioners, asked Christy for an update on the status on Ramsey.

“We have moved Probation and Domestic Relations over the past couple of days. They hopefully will be done today, so we are occupying Ramsey,” Christy said. “That is approximately for a 14-month period while we do renovations in the historic part of the courthouse. We have the first and second floors. The first floor in the basement will be empty in the next day or so, then we can start our renovations and demo in there.”

In other business, the commissioners signed a proclamation honoring Linda Woehrle for her 41 years of service as the Tobyhanna tax collector.

“Forty-one years for the county is significant,” said Sharon Laverdure, chairwoman of the commissioners.