Plan in works to allow historic Holmes Courthouse to shine bright in the night sky

The goal is to blend art and science in a way that will tell the historical story of the Holmes County Courthouse using night lighting.

That was the message given to Holmes County commissioners Monday morning by the designers and engineers working on illumination for the building.

The commissioners met via Zoom with senior lighting designer Matt Minard and lead electric engineer Kelly Huston of KLH Engineering to hear an update on lighting plans for the renovated Holmes County Courthouse.

Minard said it is his hope to be able to tell the historical story of the courthouse via lighting the building at night. He said it is important to highlight the statue of Lady Justice, because that is why there is a courthouse.

The project is in the conceptual design phase. Within the next few weeks the engineers will provide the county with a plan.

Minard said they are blending the art and science to illuminate the clock tower and the structure and architecture of the courthouse, which was renovated two years ago.

"At the end of the day, we are artists who work with light," Minard said. "Our first approach is the artistic approach, especially when we deal with historical features. We are currently going through some internal testing, with software that helps us inform our decisions.

"The ideas and concepts that we pull together as a team need to blend well with your ideas, and we put them through software mockups to make sure we're heading in the right direction," he said.

The project timeline: Perhaps lights-on in spring

The project is expected to get underway soon, but the timeline is flexible.

Minard said it will probably be October before all the documents will be ready. They have conducted on-site background research, and are currently in the design phase.

"We envision some back and forth over the next few weeks through this phase and have it wrapped up by the end of August," Minard said. "We would be looking at bringing some sample equipment on site for a one-night mockup display, so you can actually see what we've designed and what those effects look like."

KLH Engineering will provide a plan that lays out the material and construction costs to ensure when the project is bid, the commissioners will know what project costs should be.

"We don't like to rush projects of historical significance like this," he added. "We don't think you would want this installed over the winter, so we envision sometime in March or April to be ready for a lights-on event sometime in the spring."

Commissioners Dave Hall and Joe Miller agreed that lighting the courthouse will enhance the beauty of the building, and give folks another reason to come visit downtown Millersburg.

KLH is contracted with Holmes County commissioners for $38,500 for the concept, design, construction documents and field verification.