Kahoka, MO – Some Clark County residents want the county courthouse to remain open for business.
County Commissioner Jerry Neyens says two questions about the courthouse will be added to the November ballot. He says one will ask residents if property tax revenue should be used to build a new courthouse while the other focuses on sales tax revenue.
The new facility would be built near the 140-year-old courthouse in Kahoka. The current facility would be torn down if a preservation plan is not developed.
Carla Derrick of Kahoka says a new facility is not needed. She is part of a group pushing for the current courthouse to be restored and renovated so it can continue to be used for county business.
"We could not, in good conscience, let this go by without making a stand," Derrick says, "and try to convince people it is worthy." Derrick goes on to say, "Our county needs to preserve its history because we have lost so many historic buildings in this county."
Derrick says her group has "drawn a line in the sand" over the courthouse. The group held a meeting, Thursday, June 25, to give residents a chance to quiz state preservation leaders and engineers about the feasibility of restoring the Clark County Courthouse.
Derrick says the restoration and renovation of the building could be paid for with grant money and revenue from property or sales tax increases. She says the fact that Clark County accepted state funding to fix the courthouse's basement makes it more difficult to tear the property down.
The Clark County Courthouse has been on the National Register of Historic Places for 25 years and on the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation's most endangered list since 2004.