Through the dusty expanse of the Freeborn County Courthouse construction site to the front of the 1888 courthouse building, you can hear the echo of County Administrator Ron Gabrielsen’s frustration with some of the misconceptions about the project.

Gabrielsen has been spending time this fall giving tours to inform the public as well as to stop rumors about the courthouse, which is on schedule and 30 percent complete.

Among the rumors was that the display in front of the courthouse was an unnecessary expense. Gabrielsen said it was part of the bid.

&uot;It’s quality assurance,&uot; he said. He said all the blocks should be the same color, but pieces on the back are different colors, something the construction firm says it will fix. Gabrielsen said the county can refuse payment if the color is different.

Another rumor is that the county intends to put a clock tower on one of the main towers. The county has no such intentions, he explained; it just appears on one of the mock-ups of plans, with the hope that some group would be interested in paying for one to beautify the downtown.

&uot;People don’t ask &045; they just assume,&uot; he said.

(Contact Tim Sturrock at tim.sturrock@albertleatribune.com or 379-3438.)