The roof replacement project for Oregon’s historic Ogle County Courthouse is moving right along, according to the chairman of the county’s Long Range and Strategic Planning Committee.

“The project is moving ahead. You’ve noticed that besides the scaffolding being up there they are doing some repairs up there,” Don Griffin, of Oregon (District 5), told his fellow board members on Tuesday, Nov. 18. “They are doing the underlayment for the new material to come in and be put down.”

Griffin said crews had been switching out the stainless steel flashing used in the valleys of the 134-year-old building, opting instead for something that was a better match for the new shingles.

“We did make a change because the stainless steel really showed up in a way we didn’t want to in the valleys, so we changed that to a material to that’s going to match the roofing shingles,” he said. “And that will make it look a lot better for the historic building that we have here.”

The picturesque courthouse was built in 1891 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. It has undergone several renovations during its life and still houses the county offices of County Clerk and Recorder, and Treasurer.

The Ogle County Judicial Center, built in 2005 and located across South Fifth Street just west of the courthouse, contains courtrooms, judicial offices, and the county offices of the Circuit Clerk, State’s Attorney, and Probation Department.

This year’s roof project is one of several restorations and maintenance projects completed on the historic courthouse over several years.

In October, the county board awarded the 2025 roof contract to Sterling Commercial Roofing, which was the low bidder for the project at $813,125, with a $30,000 general contingency allowance.

The new shingles are replacing slate shingles and are expected to maintain the historical status of the building and have a similar lifespan but not break or crack.

Griffin told the board that he expects the rest of the roofing material to arrive early in December.

“I think it’s going to be somewhere in that first week in December so we can move along with that process,“ Griffin said.

Griffin said information about the old roof has been submitted to the county’s insurance company. The cost of the project is being covered partially by insurance.

“So that’s going along very well, very nicely, and hopefully we’ll have a mild winter,” Griffin said.