The Knox County Courthouse is closed until Monday morning after it had to be evacuated late Friday morning.
County Sheriff Jack Harlan tells WGIL work on a handicapped-accessible ramp outside the courthouse caused it.
“The construction company had hit a gas (line) here at the courthouse,” said Harlan. “I came over and assessed the situation and realized the gas leak was pretty significant, and decided that, for the well-being of the people who work here at the courthouse, and also for the citizens who attend the courthouse, that it’s best to shut the facility down and get people evacuated from the area just in case something happens.”
Ameren along with Galesburg Fire crews were on scene as a standby until the utility’s crews could get in to work. It’s expected the leak will be fixed soon, and it will be back to business as usual after the weekend.
As for the workers, they’ve been there for awhile, says Harlan.
“We’re redoing the ramp on the south side of the building to make it (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant,” said Harlan, “and because it hasn’t been addressed in many years. The County Board addressed that situation and decided it was time for a new one. That’s what they’ve been working on the last couple weeks.”
No one was hurt. People with court dates Friday will get notice of when they’ve been rescheduled to.
