Minor Oil Spill in County Courthouse Causes Court Headache

Over the weekend a valve gave way on one of two boiler systems located in the penthouse of the Schoharie County Courthouse, causing oil to leak through the floor and into the elevator shaft and ceiling tiles of lower floors, staining carpeting and tiles in the process. 

No one was harmed during the minor spill, which was estimated by a county official to be somewhere between five and twenty gallons. County court however, was forced to relocate to the Board of Supervisors meeting room in the nearby county building due to the toxicity of the fumes. 

Ironically enough, contractors were set to install two spillway containment barriers around the van sized boilers this very week on recommendation of Flood Recovery Coordinator Bill Cherry, who made the suggestion to supervisors at the May county board meeting. 

According to Mr. Cherry, who told the Schoharie News that both boiler systems are approximately three decades old and the valve simply decayed after years of use, the county currently has no dollar amount on how much the necessary clean-up process and repairs will cost at this time. 

It is unknown precisely when regular court proceedings will commence once more in the courthouse, with current estimates between five and seven days at the earliest.