Rain water leaks into Anderson County records vault

Rain water leaked into the third floor of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton during storms on Thursday and Sunday nights, and records stored in boxes on shelves and the floor got wet, county officials said Monday morning.

Records stored in a dozen or fewer boxes from Anderson County Chancery Court and Circuit Court sustained “mild dampening,” Circuit Court Clerk Barry Pelizzari said.

“They’re in the process of restoring that and getting everything dried out,” he said.

Pelizzari said the records that got wet have been archived or will be archived. At least some of them have to retained permanently, but Pelizzari said he doesn’t expect any records to be lost due to water damage.

Chancery Court records had the most damage, with about a half-dozen boxes affected, Pelizzari said.

The water leaked into the records archives vault on the courthouse’s third floor after heavy rains Thursday night, Anderson County Budget Director Chris Phillips said. More water leaked in during a Sunday night storm.

He said a new roof has been installed on the courthouse by Dixie Roofing, but it’s not completely fastened.

Phillips said a maintenance crew cleaned up the water Friday morning, and dehumidifiers were used to help dry out the moisture.

Phillips said he wasn’t sure how much water had leaked into the courthouse.

Contacted Saturday, Anderson County Commission Chairman Chuck Fritts said he was surprised that county commissioners hadn’t been notified of the flooding. He learned about it through a news report, Fritts said.

He said he would expect a respectable roofer to put down a covering to prevent flooding.

Phillips said Dixie Roofing is a reputable company, performing work at such places as the University of Tennessee.

He said the company will meet with county officials today.

Even if records are soaked, there are methods  to restore them, Phillips said, and the county’s insurance policy will cover the damage if the records are wet and the county has to keep them.