Aberdeen mayor says fixing decades-old mold problem at federal courthouse will boost city economy

ABERDEEN, Miss. (WCBI) – Renovations to the Thomas G. Abernethy Federal Building in Aberdeen got underway Wednesday to fix mold issues that date back to at least 1992.

“They will change the windows, they will go in and do abatement to clean out the mold situation and they will upgrade the technical part of the building,” says Aberdeen Mayor Charles Scott.

For years, staff members have reported experiencing headaches, dizziness and asthma. The mold can be traced back to problems with the building’s original 1971 air conditioning and heating equipment, according to a courthouse press release.

The mold forced the judges and clerks out back in 2017 and the building is home to just the city post office.

“Over $24 million been appropriated (by the federal court system) to fully renovate the courthouse,” Mayor Scott says. “It’s going to be a tremendous impact to our community.”

Mayor Scott says the money will go towards removing the mold and lead paint as well as upgrading the heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems. He says the return of the federal court system to Aberdeen will spur growth in the city.

“We are currently working on renovating the Parkway Hotel and that will be significant to our community because we are looking at turning it into a boutique hotel that will have a nice restaurant,” he says.

The goal is to have local businesses ready and able to accommodate the increased traffic that future court proceedings will bring in.

“By having the lawyers and the people that may be in court come downtown, that allows them to visit our city,” the mayor says.

Mayor Scott credits U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock and several federal representatives for lobbying to fund the renovations that will keep the courthouse in Aberdeen.

The mayor says they hope to have the courthouse ready to reopen by 2024.