This metalworker had the best (and arguably most terrifying) view of Tuscarawas County Wednesday as crews continued work on the courthouse dome. (Photo by Garry Daniels, Tusco TV)

New Philadelphia, Ohio - The dome on top of the Tuscarawas County Courthouse is just weeks from being fully restored.  

Tuscarawas County Community and Economic Development Director Scott Reynolds says the project is really coming along and should be completed within the next four to six weeks.

“We’ve got to finish up the copper work on the dome. They have to do some of the work on the cupola before it goes back up, and the lighting project is taking place as well. It’ll all be finished up about the same time,” he says.

Crews began putting up scaffolding earlier this year in preparation for a $1.4 million dollar courthouse restoration project being funded by Tuscarawas County. The cupola that sits on top of the dome was removed in the spring, and crews have since been making structural improvements and restoring the dome’s copper roofing.

Reynolds notes that the project also calls for the installation of energy-efficient LED lighting.

“Really the only lighting the had for the courthouse, there were some really old incandescent bulbs in the dome itself that hadn’t been used for quite a few years and then bright white spotlights that lit up the outside and the dome and so forth and the courthouse. Those are all going to be replaced with LED lighting which is much more energy efficient. You can get as much light out of, say, a 35-watt LED fixture as you can a 250- to 350-watt metal halide or incandescent or high-pressure sodium fixture,” Reynolds explains.

Reynolds notes that another advantage of the new lighting is that it can also be programmed to emit different colors for special occasions.

“We have allowed for being able to change the color for special holidays like Christmas and Fourth of July. It should look really, really nice when it’s done and it will be a lot more efficient to light it,” he says.

The project is being completed by Coon Restoration & Sealants of Louisville and subcontractors including Nimen Sheet Metal of Canton. 

Stacey Carmany, Tusco TV