The Washington County Board met in the new boardroom in the newly renovated Washington County Courthouse last night.  The board now sits in a half circle table, instead of the squared table set up.

Eventually there will be a public address system installed.  All locks on the inside have been changed over, paint still needs to be done on the outside and the lights on the sign in front, need to be repositioned to provide better lighting.  Board Vice President Gary Suedmeyer says they might look into getting a card reader system at both entrances in the future, as they have some money in their telephone account that needs to be spent or they lose it.  There was a request from some Girl Scouts about planting 1 or 2 trees on the courthouse lawn, since a few were taken down.  They wanted to do it for Arbor Day.  The Board voted to allow the Building Committee to handle it.  There was a walk through for the public last Friday, but while the Board agreed there should be a dedication ceremony of some sort, they voted to allow the Building Committee to put it together.  Approximately $8,000 has been set aside for landscaping and most areas were already seeded, with some grass beginning to show.  Some areas still need to be fixed up, such as an area near the ambulance building, due to erosion.  Some members thought it should be left alone now to see what grows.  The Board approved of allowing the Building Committee to handle the landscaping details.  The move began on Monday and has been going very well, but it probably won’t be done until tomorrow, when the offices are expected to be officially open.  There were a couple requests to get some handicapped parking spots on the roads around the courthouse, as well as getting a cross walk put in going between the courthouse and the Judicial Building.  They would need to work with Nashville City Hall on these projects.  There was a lightning strike at the Sheriff’s Building that knocked out many areas and pieces of equipment that now need to be fixed or replaced, so they are working with the insurance company right now.