Courthouse elevator project on schedule

Renovation work on the only elevator at the La Salle County Courthouse in downtown Ottawa is on schedule and on budget.

The double shifts working on the project have ended, and a single shift will continue until the work is done. A state inspection is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 6, the County Board's County Property Committee was told Friday.

The work is scheduled to be completed by Friday, Aug. 10. Officials said preplanning, communications and cooperation were making the project go smoothly.

Robert Kaminski, the county's maintenance supervisor, said a woman who became sick on the top floor found herself as the new elevator's first passenger when the work crew loaded her on the elevator so she could be transported to the first floor where an ambulance waited.

"They saw the issue, and they just jumped on it, which was great," Kaminski said.

The elevator was installed in September 1912 when a stairway was removed to allow for the shaft.

The project includes replacement of old mechanical apparatus with modern electrical components. The cab cables are being replaced, and the interior of the cab itself and the cab doors are being refurbished.