Nearly complete

Renovations to Jay County Clerk’s Office are nearly finished.

Jon Eads, Jay Circuit Court clerk, and clerk deputies moved back to the north end of the second floor of Jay County Courthouse Monday. They had been working in the courthouse auditorium since the first week of May.

Molly Twigg, deputy clerk, said she was ready to be back in the office.

“It’s nice and quiet up here,” she said.

The auditorium, where the clerk’s office moved temporarily during the construction process, is adjacent to the main entrance to the courthouse where it sees quite a bit more traffic than the permanent location on the north end of the second floor.

One of the renovations included removing the hard plastic flooring, which was about 25 years old. Eads explained that the plastic had been wearing down and, in a few spots, collapsing. It also had damaged some of the wiring. First deputy clerk Missy Elliott said she was most excited to have the flooring redone.

“We won’t have to be walking on a dipping floor,” she said.

In addition to new flooring, office workers received bigger desks and new cabinets, which border the public door. The cabinets were handmade by Henry Eicher at his Geneva business, D&H workshop, and the grey countertops will be delivered in a few weeks.

The office walls are now painted a shade of gray that, in the lighting, appears a blue-gray color.

“We really do like it and we’ve had several compliments about how it looks in here,” Eads said.

There is also a desk space that is handicap-accessible.

During the decision-making process, Eads and the deputies decided on desks, carpets and paint together. Eads is uncontested in the upcoming election, so the process felt like making the office his own, he said. He explained that the desks were outdated, so it was time for a modern upgrade.

Two public computers will remain on the left as community members walk in the public door. Those applying for marriage licenses should visit the right counter, and those making payments should visit the middle counter.

Renovations cost about $50,000, which was approved at a commissioner’s meeting earlier this year.

In order to make room for the new desks, office workers had to consolidate and remove some cabinet files. Now, Twigg said, the trick is reorganizing.

Office workers have been scanning documents online for the past two to three years. Everything from about 2014 to now has been scanned, and all current cases are scanned as they appear, Eads added. The office is transferring to new case management system Odyssey, and with the new system, Eads expects his office to become “paperless” even faster.