Specifications have been approved for a new roof for the Winneshiek County Courthouse

Construction firms will have until February 15th to submit bids on installing a new roof on the Winneshiek County Courthouse.

County supervisors held a public hearing on the project Monday, then set a timetable which calls for bids to be awarded in late February and work to take place in April, May and June.

The contract calls for tearing out the existing roof and replacing it with a new one.  New insulation will be installed underneath the new roof; a walkway will be built to give better access to the roof; new lightning protection will be installed, as well as new lighting.

County board chair John Logsdon called the expected $234,000 price tag "a good investment," noting that other Iowa counties have spent millions of dollars on new courthouses.  Supervisor Mark Kuhn agreed that doing the repairs would be a "proactive step."