ABOVE: The murals on the third floor of the Martin County Courthouse in Fairmont will soon be repaired. Scaffolding has been up for several weeks in anticipation of an assessment of the damage and the costs associated with repairing the historic murals.

FAIRMONT– The Martin County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday took another step toward getting the courthouse dome murals repaired.

The board has been talking about the deterioration of the murals and the need to address it since the spring of last year. The murals– which are on the third floor of the courthouse and were painted in the early 1900s by Franz E. Rohrbeck– have become partially detached from the ceiling due in part to water damage.

At the Oct. 7 meeting, the board approved a quote of $8,774 for scaffolding to be put up in order to have a few interested companies come and look at the murals. However, some of the companies would charge an assessment fee so at that meeting the board had voted to move forward with an assessment by Conrad Schmitt Studios, Inc. out of New Berlin, WI.

On Tuesday, Maddie Gruenke Trepton with Conrad Schmitt Studios Inc. (CSS), presented findings virtually to the board.

“This first proposal is simply just, remove the mural that’s in dire condition. It’s actively falling down. It is ripping, there’s damage to it. It’s a concern not only to the mural, but to the people beneath it,” Trepton said.

There are four murals located throughout the upper dome of the courthouse, each about 16 feet wide by 22 feet tall, painted on canvas adhered to the wall.

According to the assessment from CSS, issues include severe delamination, cracking and yellowed or discolored varnish. Water damage is also evident on the murals as is accumulated dirt and grime on the surface.

Trepton said they propose taking the most-damaged mural down so they can better view the substrate behind the mural and better understand what’s happening and how to restore the other murals in the future. When the mural is down it will also allow them to do further testing on it.

Commissioner Kevin Kristenson asked if the other murals need to be considered as well. Trepton said that her company is taking a conservative approach by starting with one mural first.

“We are well-versed on how this works,” Trepton said.

She said her company has recently down work in the Minnesota State Capitol building as well as work in other courthouses and theaters across the country.

“We figured start small, be more conservative, and then we’ll work our way into it,” Trepton said.

Commissioner Joe Loughmiller asked if there were any concerns with having the company move forward with the whole project. The county’s Building Maintenance Supervisor, Luke Cyphers, said he didn’t have any concerns working with this firm. He noted that in the past there have been issues on the project with other firms, but it’s been going well so far this time around.

The board approved moving forward with the scope of work as outlined at a cost of $12,650.

“The plan is to move quickly with this. The scaffolding is up, we want to get it down as quickly as possible and then get this all to you quickly as well to keep the project moving,” Trepton said.

A final report and budget estimate is expected to be ready in about three weeks.

In other business, the board:

— Recognized the retirement of James Kain after 23 years with the Highway Department.

— Heard a presentation from South-Central Minnesota Multi County HRA about the services the agency provides to the county.

— Approved a resolution of support for and an agreement to sponsor Fox Lake Township’s pursuit of 2025 Local Road Improvement Program funding for the North Shore Drive improvement project.

— Approved a resolution of support for and an agreement to sponsor the city of Welcome’s pursuit of 2025 Road Improvement Program funding for the Dugan Street reconstruction project.

— Approved and authorized the board chair to sign the 2026 and 2027 Natural Resources Block Grant agreement and approved and authorized the board chair to sign the service agreement between Martin County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) and Martin County for calendar years 2026 and 2027 to administer the Wetland Conservation Act in the amount of $35,112.

— Approved the retirement resignation notice from Christine Hasek, full-time branch and outreach librarian at the Martin County Library, effective Jan. 2, 2026 and authorized recruitment.

— Approved the re-appointments to the Red Rock Rural Water System.