Power outage at courthouse repaired over holiday weekend

The traffic light in the center of Sparta went dark just in time for the holiday weekend, making for some cautious drivers as people headed to the lake, out of town, or other various places over the three-day weekend.

“On Saturday May 28th the underground three-phase primary line that feeds the White County Courthouse went bad,” Belva Bess, manager of Sparta Electric, said as she explained why it was just one traffic light that was out and not a series of lights along Bockman Way.

Mayor Jeff Young said it wasn’t just the traffic light that was out, but also the HVAC unit at the courthouse as well as the elevator and other electrical accessories inside the building that sits in the center of Liberty Square.

“The repairs involved digging up 300 feet of street and sidewalks then replacing the conduit and wire in order to restore electricity,” Bess said and further stated that electricity was restored Monday night. “The Sparta Public Works department opened the ditch in order for Sparta Electric to pull new wire.”

In addition to digging up sidewalks and pavement, Sparta Street Department placed stop signs at the intersection to aid motorists in being traffic aware while the lights were out. The street department, along with Sparta Police Department, helped with traffic control and pedestrian crossing during the annual Memorial Day service that took place Monday morning before the repairs were completed.