Carter County officials make move into new Main Street building

VAN BUREN — Carter County officials now are operating out of their new offices after spending the holiday weekend moving in the former Main Street Market.

“We shut down Friday after the commission meeting and started moving everything over,” explained Carter County Clerk Leona Stephens. “We moved all weekend.

“We’re still moving the last of it right now” mid-morning Tuesday, Stephens said. “We will have it today, the last little bit.”

Associate Circuit Judge Steve Lynxwiler puts the finishing touches on the witness stand inside the courtroom portion of the county's new location on Main Street. The judge's bench from the county's historic courthouse was removed and retrofitted for use in the new building.Photo provided

Located at 308 Main St., the new building is a more permanent, but still temporary location, until a new courthouse/justice center can be built.

The county’s courthouse was inundated with flood waters in late April 2017 when Current River crested at a historic level.

Since May 2017, the county had been renting a building at 101 Highway W. County officials decided to move into a another location when the building’s rent was raised from $3,750 to $6,000 per month.

Rent on the 8,500-square-foot building will be $3,500 per month.

“Everybody was unpacking over the weekend,” Stephens said. “You get stuff over here and unpack as you go.”

Stephens said there is just “a lot of stuff” to unpack.

“With the exception of the phones, we are up and running,” Stephens said. “There are just lots of boxes, but the computer are all here; the people are all here.”

Phone company personnel, according to Stephens, were supposed to arrive on Tuesday.

Carter County Treasurer Velvet Ricker is seen in her new office inside the former Main Street Market, where county offices recently moved. Photo provided

“They were supposed to be here (Monday); they said the couldn’t make it because of the weather,” Stephens said. “I’m saying it will probably be tomorrow (Wednesday)” before the phones are operational.

Prior to moving into the building, walls were constructed for the various county offices, Stephens earlier said.

Regular floor to ceiling walls, she said, were constructed for the court, which will occupy the front portion of the building, Stephens said.

The remaining county offices, she said, have temporary walls and cubicles.

Once the move is complete, “people will find us; it’s a little town,” Stephens said.