Work continues inside Milwaukee County Courthouse

MILWAUKEE (WITI) – Work continues inside the Milwaukee County Courthouse more than a month after an electrical fire.

“There's a lot of equipment in the halls.  There's a lot of carpet and ceiling tiles, a lot of people working,” said Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele.

An electrical fire on July 6th forced the building to shut down for several days.  Court cases and county services were either cancelled or relocated as crews repaired the damage.  Large generators were used for power.  After two-and-a-half weeks, the Courthouse fully reopened and all operations were back to normal.

But five weeks later, the restoration continues.

“We're open to the public the departments are running full service, so really, it's kind of an inconvenience while they're moving big carts around,” said Abele.

Abele said he doesn't expect the work to be over any time soon.  The main electrical system needs to be replaced, which could take several months.

Although he wouldn't give a specific amount on the cost of those repairs, he assures taxpayers won't be footing the bill.

“The good news is our insurance carrier has been great.  From the point of view from people in the county, they're not going to see as a result of this fire, their services getting cut or their taxes going up,” said Abele.

The cafeteria inside the courthouse will remain closed until the building's electrical issues are fixed.  No word yet on when that will be completed.