Dayton justice seeks remodel of Bluestone Building

The historic Bluestone Building in Dayton, which houses the district justice offices and courtroom, has been waiting several years for a remodel.

That process could get started soon if the Lyon County Commissioners approve a request today by Justice Bill Rogers for $9,500 to hire Hannafin and Associates at to create a design to make the building more appropriate for the court's needs.

Rogers said that a few years ago it was agreed by the district justices to use money from court fees to upgrade all of the then-four district justice facilities. Mason and Smith valleys as well as Fernley had their offices and courtrooms improved.

"Two years ago it was Dayton's turn, so we have been accumulating the monies and we now have enough money to consider a remodel," he said. "I'm not trying to do the remodel yet, we just need the architect to tell us if it is feasible."

Rogers said Hannafin had experience with historic buildings similar to the Bluestone and knows to keep designs in conformity with the Comstock Historic District, which covers most of Old Town Dayton, Silver City, Gold Hill and Virginia City.

He said if anything was done with the exterior of the building, which was Birdsall's Mercantile in the 1860s, it would include a breezeway of some kind, with the new wing being clearly distinguishable from the old.

He emphasized that this is just a design, not a contract for the whole remodel, which he estimated would cost about $800,000.

"This is just a baby step, at this juncture, to see what our options are," Rogers said.

The district court did get a little extra space last year when the sheriff's substation on

Occidental opened, but Rogers said it wasn't the kind of space he needed and was good only for storage.

"We don't have a way to separate victims from defendants," he said. "The space doesn't address the deficiencies that the court has. This building has been out of compliance with state law for a long time in terms of being able to separate victims from alleged perpetrators.

"We've got so many options that I don't want to restrict anything," he said. "Part of the problem is we don't know what we don't know. Until we get better information in terms of cost, you can't make a decision."

Lyon County Manager Dennis Stark said the money for the remodel is in the budget, from fees the district court already has available, but the commissioners still have to approve the expenditures.

"They have their own budget, so that's set aside," he said.

- Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or call 881-7351.