Major leaks impact Lincoln County Courthouse

HAMLIN, W.Va. (WSAZ) - After rain on Tuesday, multiple leaks were found inside the Lincoln County Courthouse.

Water can be seen pouring from the light fixtures and puddling on the floor.

County Assessor Jamie Linville came into his workplace at the courthouse to help clean up.

“It was horrible, two inches of water all through the assistant prosecutor’s office. Looked at it, and the light fixtures were full of water around the security camera. It was pouring out, just water dripping continuously,” Linville said. “It was everywhere. It was coming through the light fixtures, running down the walls, a lot of water upstairs.”

County Clerk Kristy Scraggs closed down her office after the water saturated desks, ceiling tiles, light fixtures and electrical outlets.

“It was everywhere. It was coming through the light fixtures, running down the walls,” Scraggs said.

She was concerned about the safety of employees.

A number of rooms have the same stains on the ceiling tiles, and Scraggs said water damage in offices upstairs is even worse.

“When I came into office in January, there was a big leak that was above my office, which came out of the circuit clerk’s office, and it hit a section of the prosecutors office,” Scraggs said.

It is up to the County Commission to make sure the building is operational. Scraggs said the leaks have gone on for years.

Commission President Josh Stowers spoke about the issue.

“We have an electrical inspector coming short notice for them to see if there are safety issues that remain from the water. We will address those before anyone is required to work,” Stowers said.

Stowers said the crews are putting on a new roof before this recent leak. He said the commission approved spending more than $173,000 in federal funding for a new roof.

He said the roof will be fixed in the next few weeks. The building also has interior damage, and Stowers said the County Commission is working to write grants to fix the issues. He said those grants could be approved this fall.

“We want to make sure people are safe. We have someone coming, and if not we will fix the issues,” Stowers said.

WSAZ will keep reaching out about the results of the electrician’s findings, as well as find out more about assessments into the building.

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