The Dukes County commission and county advisory board unanimously approved $50,000 in emergency funding to replace the boiler at the Edgartown courthouse at a meeting Tuesday night.

The courthouse was closed on Monday after the boiler failed over the weekend, leaving the building without heat. On Tuesday county manager Martina Thornton told the advisory board that the boiler had an internal crack, was flooded with water and a contractor determined the damage was beyond repair.

She said she had contacted three contractors for estimates to replace the boiler; only one had responded. Contacted by the Gazette Wednesday, Ms. Thornton said she would wait for a response from all three contractors before deciding who would do the work. The three contractors are Fusion Plumbing & Heating Inc., Fullin and Bettencourt Plumbing and Heating Inc., and George T. Wilkinson Inc., according to Ms. Thornton. She said she hoped the courthouse could be reopened by next Monday.

The emergency funding will come from the county’s capital improvement fund. Ms. Thornton said there is currently $126,000 in the fund. The state will reimburse the county for 87 per cent of the cost, Ms. Thornton said, likely sometime during the next fiscal year.

Meanwhile, Ms. Thornton said the water has been shut off in the courthouse, and mini-splits and space heaters have been placed in various places throughout to keep pipes from freezing.

All court proceedings have been either postponed or moved to videoconference. Emergency orders can still be obtained through Island police departments, district court-clerk magistrate Liza Williamson said.

— Aaron Wilson