A Jackson County building that is more than 100 years old will get a lot of tender loving care in the upcoming months, and Jefferson city officials can’t wait to see the finished product.

During its Monday work session, the Jefferson City Council received an update on the initiative to restore the historic Jackson County Courthouse, which is located in downtown Jefferson.

"Hopefully the project will be under way soon," said Buz Ward, who is a member of the commission to restore the courthouse. "We don’t want it to be just a Jefferson building; we want it to be a place that all of Jackson County comes to."

The restoration project for the courthouse — which was built in the late 1800s and closed in 2004 — is funded primarily by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.

However, the restoration commission is asking all Jackson towns to get involved with the project by sponsoring a room in the building.

If a town sponsors a room, that particular room would be named after the town, and some of the town’s historic artifacts would be put on display in the room.

"We are very proud to have the old courthouse in Jefferson," said Jim Joiner, Jefferson mayor.

"We want to see the building restored and put to good use and to become another focal point in downtown Jefferson."

So far, $2 million has been set aside by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners for the project. When the restoration process is complete, a portion of the structure will be used for county offices and also as a repository for historic artifacts from around Jackson County.

During the work session, the Jefferson City Council also received an update on the city’s water reservoir from Jeff Killip, the city’s public works director.

According to Killip, the reservoir is "close to being full."

The City Council is expected to take action on the agenda items during its Oct. 27 meeting at the Jefferson Civic Center at 65 Kissam St. in Jefferson.