Offices at Limestone County Courthouse have been closing at noon since Thursday because the air conditioning system stopped working, but the unit should be repaired within the next couple of days, said Limestone County Commission Chairman David Seibert.

“The chiller that cools the water in the system went out last Thursday,” Seibert said Monday. Seibert said the chilling system from the central unit at the old Limestone County Jail has been removed and is being installed at the courthouse.

“That saved us some time and money,” he said.

The old jail, which was used for two years by Athens police at Halloween as a Cells of Terror fundraiser, will be torn down, Seibert said.

Police were told by fire marshals recently that a sprinkler system must be installed before the building could be used for the haunted house. Athens Police Chief Wayne Harper said that project would be too expensive.