“It is noteworthy that our application scored the fourth highest ranking and we received the maximum allowable under the grant formula,” he added.

“Special thanks go out to our county commissioners; our architectural firm, Michael Gaertner & Associates; the county historical commission, especially Chairperson Susanne Waller; the county elected officials; and the county employees,” the judge added.

Evans added the approval of the county’s $5 million grant application was a culmination of local efforts in not only the planning process, but in working with the legislature over the last several sessions to ensure the program was properly funded and supported by the state.

“The trips to Austin have paid off with the award of $5 million for Trinity County to restore our historic courthouse,” he said. “Hopefully, even the cynics will realize and admit that trips to Austin can and do pay off.”

Under the THC program, the exterior of the courthouse will be restored as closely as possible to its original appearance when it was completed in 1914.

Portions of the interior, including the second floor district courtroom, also will be returned to the original look, but officials have noted the restoration also will provide the county with a functional building that will continue to serve local citizens well into the future.

Among the “modern” changes that will be added is an elevator that will connect all three floors of the old, red brick structure.

The elevator will mean that the county will be able to use the small third floor space for more than just storage. Previous discussions by commissioners indicate that both the county treasurer’s and county auditor’s offices may be relocated to the top floor.

In addition to the elevator, the grant will allow the county to replace the aging electrical and plumbing systems. The electrical system is of particular concern because it was an electrical fire in December 2005 that damaged what was then the county clerk’s office.

That nighttime fire, which Evans has said came within 15 to 20 minutes of destroying the entire courthouse, prompted the relocation of the county clerk’s office into the old ETMC clinic building in Groveton.

Once the fire damage was repaired, the commissioners agreed to let County Clerk Diane McCrory remain in the ETMC building and reassigned her old courthouse office to County Attorney Joe Bell.

Other work that will be included in the renovation will be the installation of a modern central heating and air conditioning system.

Friday’s grant awards came in “Round V” of THC’s courthouse preservation grant program and included $56 million. Most of the money was earmarked for 14 construction grants, but almost $2.6 million will be given to three counties in the form of emergency funding.

Of the 14 construction grants handed out last week, only five were for the maximum $5 million, In addition to Trinity, counties which received those top amounts included Hood, Harris, Mills and Potter.

Other counties winning construction funds in Round V included Cass County, $4.4 million; Cooke County, $4.1 million; Hamilton County, $2.25 million; Kendall County, $1.3 million; Lavaca County, $2.9 million; La Salle County, $2.25 million; McCulloch County, $4.7 million; Roberts County, $2.6 million; and San Augustine County, $3.7 million.

Emergency awards approved last week included $400,000 to Fannin County, $291,374 to Hall County and $1.9 million to Randall County.

A total of 47 counties applied for Round V grants requesting an all time high of over $200 million. THC noted that applicant requests were larger than in previous rounds due to inflation and higher funding camps.

“With so many qualified applicants, the selection process for this round has been very challenging, but our goal is to assist as many counties as possible,” said THC Architecture Division Director Stan Graves.

“Texas’ historic county courthouses represent the best of our state and we remain dedicated to helping preserve these important architectural landmarks,” he added.

The courthouse preservation program was created in 1999 by then Gov. George W. Bush and the Texas Legislature. Initially, $50 million was appropriated and in May 2000 THC distributed $42.4 million in matching grants to 19 counties during Round I of the program.

An additional $7 million went to 28 counties for planning and stabilization work during Round II funding in October 2000.

During Round III from April 2002 through January 2003, THC awarded $48 million to 25 counties for full restorations.

In May 2004, the program awarded $43 million to 28 counties for construction, planning and emergency funding. Trinity County received its planning grant in this round.

In 2005, the legislature did not allocate state funds for the program and instead instructed the Texas Department of Transportation to set aside $80 million from the federal Transportation Enhancement Program for courthouses. However, the Federal Highway Administration rejected the use of the money for courthouse work so the grant program was unfunded during the 2005-2006 biennium.

Last year the state legislature appropriated $62 million for the program.