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GATESVILLE – The Gates County Courthouse is expected to reopen to the public on Friday (June 27) as repairs continue inside on water damage caused by heavy rain.

Gates County Manager Scott Sauer said on Monday that the main focus of those making the repairs is to get the front lobby fixed by Friday of this week. Gates County District Court is scheduled to be in session on June 27.

“While the courtroom was spared from the damage, work is still ongoing in the lobby between the courtroom and the Clerk of Court office,” Sauer said. “The contractors are working to get the lobby safe and secure for public use.”

Sauer added that county staffers whose offices are in the courthouse are back at work this week.

“We have staff in the courthouse, but it remains closed to the general public until Friday,” Sauer stated. “If someone needs to visit the Clerk’s office and it’s an emergency situation, they can call that office and make arrangements to be seen. They just can’t use the front door to enter the courthouse.”

Sauer added that repairs are nearly complete in the Clerk’s office where damage was caused by fallen ceiling tiles and water.

The culprit for the damage was not caused by a leaky roof, Sauer noted.

“The Gatesville area received seven inches of rain over a 48-hour period during the weekend of June 14-15,” he said. “The issue was caused when the downspouts, which carry the water off the roof, couldn’t handle all that rain. That water was pushed back up the downspouts, which caused the roof to flood between its first and second layers.

“Thank goodness we don’t have to replace the roof as that would be extremely costly,” Sauer remarked.

Sauer added that he is waiting on numbers from the county’s insurance carrier that will determine the total dollar amount of the damage.