It is not uncommon for members of Lauderdale County grand juries to give unfavorable opinions concerning the state of the Lauderdale County Court House.     But the most recent grand jury just upped the ante.

    In its report, submitted Aug. 8 to the office of Lauderdale County Circuit Court Clerk Donna Jill Johnson, the members were clearly dissatisfied with the condition of the courthouse going as far as to recommend the courthouse be bulldozed. To make the statement carry even more weight, the word bulldozed was capitalized and followed by an exclamation point.

    When told of the language in the report, District 2 Supervisor Wayman Newell chuckled.

    “I’ve never heard of a grand jury being that direct in one of their reports,” Newell said. “But that is what I’ve been trying to tell everyone. We need a new courthouse. Although bulldozing the current one is out of the question.”

    The county earmarked $4.2 million of a $14 million bond issue for renovations at the courthouse, which has been long criticized for its falling plaster, sagging walls and the yellowing paint.

    Some have suggested tearing tearing the courthouse down and building a new one but that is not an option, District 3 Supervisor Josh Todd said.

    “It is on the historical registry,” Todd said. “That is why we are trying to renovate and save the building.”

    District 1 Supervisor Hank Florey agreed.

    “If someone showed up on a bulldozer to knock down the courthouse the people in Jackson with the Department of Archives and History would be all over us,” said Florey, who is the president of the Board of Supervisors. “We have to get their permission just to pressure wash the outside.”

    The reports are issued at the end of a grand jury session. The next grand jury session, along with entirely new members, will begin Sept. 23.