FORT WAYNE – Officials celebrated the $1.25 million repair and restoration of the historic Allen County Courthouse on Thursday, but looming high above the festivities were dozens of pigeons that threaten the carefully cleaned limestone building.
Before restoration crews could begin their work in September 2009, they dressed in biohazard gear and masks to shovel away massive amounts of pigeon waste that accumulated over the decades in the niches, crevices and ledges that adorn the 108-year-old building, said Madelane Elston, president of the Courthouse Preservation Trust.
The droppings damaged the stone facade over the years along with algae, lichens, water and soot. Crews gently cleaned the stone as part of the two-phase restoration project.
Crews also waterproofed the building and repaired joints and limestone features that were cracked or missing. They also repaired the granite base and the terra cotta that graces the upper reaches of the Courthouse.
The project came in under the $1.3 million budget.
Shrubbery was removed from around the base of the Courthouse to protect the granite from water damage. The shrubs and flower beds were not original to the building and trapped water against the granite, Elston said.
The shrubs also were a haven for rats and other vermin and were used by the public to dispose of trash, she said.
Sheriff’s officers in the past have also removed weapons, cell phones and drug paraphernalia from the greenery.
The National Landmark Service had urged the county to bring the building back to its original splendor by removing the shrubs. Concrete sidewalks replaced the beds on three sides of the building.
On the eastern park side, grass and stone were added along with an elaborate drainage system, Elston said.
The city, which maintains the park, and the county are working to improve the nighttime illumination of the Courthouse. New exterior lights have yet to be installed, she said.
The city and county have worked with the Downtown Improvement District to find a way to keep the pigeons away, but neighboring property owners have yet to agree on a coordinated plan of attack.
Regular removal of pigeon waste will be incorporated into a routine maintenance schedule, Elston said.
“We’ll never get that much buildup again,” she said.
The county continues to trap and remove the birds several times a week, but officials have no idea whether they are making a dent in the population, said Dan Freck, the county’s maintenance superintendent.
Rich Davis, executive director for DID, hopes to convene a meeting with downtown property owners and other stakeholders in early December to renew efforts to study the pigeons. To devise a plan to reduce the birds’ presence, Davis wants to determine how many there are and where they are feeding.
Several property owners have made some short-term efforts to eliminate the pigeons, but Davis said they didn’t do much good. He hopes that lack of success coupled with the million-dollar investment in the Courthouse will prompt more cooperation from building owners.
“The Courthouse is all cleaned up. It still has the same nooks and crannies as it did in 1901 when they first started to sit there. We’re back to where we were a year ago,” Davis said.
