Courthouse collapse
Write a letter to the editor
Yikes! Less than an hour ago, the entire back corner of the old Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court collapsed. Officials were still trying to figure out who was going to talk to the press when the Hook arrived on the scene. Stay tuned for details!
Update 4:45 pm:“They (Kenbridge Construction Co.) were in the process of underpinning the foundation for the three-story court house addition,” says city building code official Tom Elliott. “Right now, the contractor has to find a structural engineer to temporarily brace the structure.”
Apparently, workers on the site noticed a crack forming on the wall and had time to clear the area. About 20 minutes later the corner of the building came crashing down. No one was hurt. According to Elliot, the brick rubble will have to be sorted through and cleaned and replaced, a project that could be quite time consuming and expensive. As city councilor Blake Caravati–who also happens to be a building contractor—told the Hook, “It’s going to be costly…period!”
[...] As usual, the Hook has another breaking story. Courthouse collapse in C-Ville. TJ wouldn’t be happy about this one, especially since the “students plan to bomb own school” trial has been going on this week. [...]
Incredible. It is right next door to our office. It looks like it was empty so I hope that means noone was injured.
It’s been under renovation. There were workers on the site, hopefully none hurt. Earlier in this same renovation, workers managed to accidentally set the building on fire. This one’s just not going as planned.
A recently deceased federal judge and fine man told me during a discussion in 1996 or 1997 that some of the courthouses in the block were built on old Indian burial grounds. We were discussing the repeated Sick Building Syndrome in the Charlottesville Circuit Court building at the time. For the superstitious, I wonder if this comes into play with all the events in this particular building now? :D
First of all it is a blessing that no-one was injured - isn’t it lucky that a contractor was around when this happened. Personally, I have learned that it may be cool to sort of blame the ancient ones - Sometimes the best revenge is no revenge is no revenge.
Sick building syndrome is caused many time by using products that are inferior/or sometimes are full of chemicals that over time literally make folks ill. Think green - think responsibly - think I am kidding - google it and you will find majour businesses/hotels are doing just that. It is not always about a quick buck and how fast can we get it done. Do it right and just maybe - this type of thing - may not happen. HO!
In the Circuit Court building they found cancer causing carcinogens located in the ventilation ducts near the Sheriff’s Department within the building. John Nightengale (custodian) and Carlton Baird (sheriff) both died of cancer. Others exposed to it could very well die of cancer sometime in the future if this discovery and their deaths are related. /Steve