Carbon County’s courthouse renovation is moving ahead on time, and as a way to help prevent any damage to the new ceilings, officials are having work completed in the historic bell tower to stop any water from seeping into the building.

On Thursday, the board of commissioners hired McHose Brothers Construction LLC of Albrightsville to complete repairs to the bell tower roof and floor, at a cost of $1,500.

Commissioner Rocky Ahner said that the company will be putting on a rubber roof inside the tower to help stop leaks.

“It’s been an issue since before we started the project and we patched it,” he said. “Now, we’re getting somebody actually to put a rubber roof on that instead of just patching.”

Commissioner Wayne Nothstein said that through the courthouse renovation project, you find additional issues you didn’t know you had.

“With the construction project, and opening up the ceilings and everything, when you get a good at these things, you don’t realize you had a problem until you open up the walls,” he said. “We don’t have to ruin new ceilings being put in and then have to go back in. It’s necessary things.”

Commissioners Chairman Michael Sofranko provided an overall update of the courthouse project, saying that things are progressing as planned.

“We are on schedule. We’re within the budget and actually doing well with that,” Sofranko said, but added that the project is getting down to the parts that may be a little more involved.

“There’s a lot of work going on up in the attic area,” he said, noting that new air conditioning units will be installed on the roof. “That’s where we will be keeping our fingers crossed because that’s where it gets touch and go.”

The board said that the project is still on track for a late-May, early-June 2025 completion.