It's not known yet what the cost will be to repair water damage to the Warren County Courthouse caused by a malfunctioning heating unit. Most of the damage last Tuesday, Jan. 5, occurred inside the second-floor law library, a room below the heating unit. Carpet and ceiling tiles were soaked at different areas on the eastern side of the building. Cleanup crews called into service also drained light fixtures that had water sitting in them. Fans were set throughout the affected areas to help tame the moisture. The heat coil malfunction occurred one day after workers found that a hot water heater failed in the courthouse basement, damaging some insulation and drywall inside the health department. The commissioners said the hot water heater apparently failed sometime between Saturday and Monday night. The minor damage occurred in a conference room that was part of the health department's area that was renovated last year. Crews drilled holes at the bottom of the drywall inside the conference room and the affected drywall was replaced. "It was not a good start to the year," Presiding Commissioner Arden Engelage said. Water leaked throughout Tuesday from multiple places inside the Division 2 courtroom causing an inconvenience during criminal law day, the court's busiest day of the month. The commissioners went through the law library's books late Tuesday evening and sorted out the ones that were damaged. Less than the 20 percent of the books stored there were shipped to be freeze dried at a Michigan company to hopefully be salvaged. "It was a mess," Engelage said. "We had to get a group in here and get ahead of any mold problems." The commissioners were unsure if last week's frigid temperatures were to blame, but indicated it was at least a contributing factor. "It's (the unit) never been challenged by the cold," Southern District Commissioner Hubie Kluesner said. Noting that several flaws have been discovered since the 10-year-old courthouse was built, Northern District Commissioner Dan Hampson said the structure's heating and air-conditioning system needs to be evaluated for efficiency. He said a better preventative maintenance program also needs to be set up to thwart future issues. The courthouse is expected to undergo significant renovations within a year or two once the county's planned administration building is completed. At least one more courtroom will be added and other offices could be expanded during the makeover.