SOMETHING IS "ASKEW"

The Havre Daily Corrector’s plea for more information as to the goings on at the Hill County Courthouse a few posts back has elicited a response from a person with personal connections at the Courthouse. We wish to thank the person that e-mailed us the following observations as to the recent basement remodel that has run amuck at taxpayer’s expense.

• The article in the Wed's paper (12/23) all the crying about possible cut backs, no funds, etc. etc. Maybe they should have thought of that when the spent $1 mill + on the basement.
• In the amount of money they spent, they did not put in new energy efficient outside windows, but they put in expensive marble window sills.
• They opened the west door to the basement and in the bitter cold the inside doors that go out into the foyer have to be kept open or the fire sprinklers freeze because there were no heaters put in out there.
• In the hallways downstairs, they put in window walls so you can see in the offices rather than wood walls with sheet rock.
• They didn't put any window coverings (drapes) on the outside windows so the people in the offices downstairs freeze.
• They put a small bullet proof glass window in the county attorney's office to protect, both the walls surrounding the window are just sheet rock - not much protection there.
• The bathrooms downstairs are handicapped accessible, but before the automatic light comes on, you are already in the bathroom in the dark. There are also no mirrors in the bathrooms or no place to sit or hang your coat or purse, etc.
• Nobody occupied the offices in the basement last summer but yet the air conditioning was kept in the 60's. They should not have had to have the air on at all.
• The only way to adjust the temperature in the basement is to call in the heating guy to make the adjustment. No dials or ways that people there can do it.
• Front steps to the courthouse are still not right. They noticeably slope to the point of making one feel unbalanced.
• Architect was fired from the job by the commissioners and the commissioners (or one of them-Mike Anderson) became the architect thinking they/he could do a better job.

Thanks once again to our informed reader that has taken the time to help with the facts and for sending the report to the Havre Daily Corrector. Why is it that a job that is $200,000 over budget and screwed up beyond belief wasn’t deemed a newsworthy story by our local “News” paper? Considering that the money wasted re-doing the front entry numerous times alone could have kept our City-County pool funded for another decade we find it surprising that the taxpayers are not clamoring for the recall of Commissioner Mike Anderson and his cronies. Our reader / reporter even failed to mention the funds spent for a new computer server at the county that is still giving problems to the users, but that is yet another story.

The opening day for filing for Mike Anderson’s commission seat is January 14th. This is a good paying job with a wonderful benefit package as well. Come one, and come all, for the bar has been set low by the current inept performance of the present Commissioner. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Libertarians should all challenge this seat for a better tomorrow for Hill County.