Repairs on the Oneida County Courthouse dome are moving along, county officials report.
The first part of a planned two part cleaning and repair project is nearly complete, said Oneida County Buildings and Grounds Director Curt Krouze.
"We're halfway home and right on schedule and on budget," he said.
In May, workers began the delicate work of deconstructing the panels that hold the dome's Tiffany glass paanes in place.
At that time, Krouze said the county had planned for half of the dome's eight segments to be repaired this summer. The repairs involve fixing cracked panes and fortifying the framework that holds the panes in place.
In total, 2,400 pieces of glass will be fixed when the project is complete.
Krouze said the last two segments to be repaired this summer should be in place by September 15.
The first two segments were returned, fully repaired, to the dome about 10 days ago.
The remaining four segments are to be fixed in 2005 and Krouze says he expects the process will be easier the second time around.
"We'll have to go through all of this again next year but we've learned a lot doing the first part," he said.
Krouze said the workers, from two separate companies, (two are from Oakbrook Esser Studios of Oconomowoc and two are from Laib Restoration of Oshkosh) have had the benefit of good weather for most of the summer.
"We only lost one day," he said, referring to a severe thunderstorm with heavy rain and lightening that drove the workers from their perch high atop the dome last week.
Krouze said the dome is probably the last place anyone would want to be when bad weather hits.
"It's a scary spot to be since the dome is a full metal structure, it's a true lightening rod," he said, adding that the workers got out of harm's way just before the storms hit.
"They just got it closed up when the rain started coming down," said Krouze.
The dome repair project, which has been in the works for several years, is partially funded by the federal government.
Rep. Dave Obey (R-Wausau) secured approximately $390,000 for the project.
The remainder of the funds needed to complete the restoration are to come from the general fund and property taxes.