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Certificates were given to Brian Moore, the county’s facilities manager, as well as Joe Duncan, Jason Ortt and Cody Erb of Royal Plus, a disaster cleanup and restoration company. The awards honor their work in quickly remediating the devastation to the courthouse’s north wing after the fire.

The blaze was caused by a computer that caught fire in the clerk’s office on Sunday, Dec. 19. The sprinkler system was activated, extinguishing the fire but leaving significant water damage to the wing.

Within hours of the fire, Royal Plus had a cleanup crew and equipment on scene to address the water damage and begin mold abatement, according to County Manager Clay Stamp.

“Had it not been for the work of these gentlemen that you have before you, not only would the cost have been a lot greater, but we would’ve had a very difficult time getting in a healthy building,� Stamp said.

Multiple county officials commended Moore and the Royal Plus team for their quick work in restoring the courthouse to an operational status.

Talbot County Circuit Court Judge Stephen Kehoe said that without the help of Royal Plus, courthouse operations would have been greatly disrupted. Time estimates for how long it would take for the courthouse to be functional again were thrown out the window, he said. The courthouse was operational by the time staff returned from Christmas break.

Circuit Court Clerk Kathi Dulin Duvall described Moore and the Royal Plus crew as a “godsend� to her and her office. She expressed gratitude for how the crew was able to help shift their offices upstairs away from the water-damaged area.

Register of Wills Patti Campen recalled coming to the courthouse the day of the fire, remembering the haze of smoke still hanging in the air and shoveling water out the door.

“This is where we spend our lives; we spend over eight hours a day here, five days a week,� she said. “It’s like a second home and I can’t tell you the emotional part of it. When I walked in, it was devastating.�

Campen said she was “amazed� at the transformation that happened overnight, and it didn’t just stop there.

Ortt, who was on the scene at the courthouse during the remediation efforts, extended thanks to the deputies ensuring courthouse security. They were “phenomenal,� especially in helping the crew work late and on the weekends to finish the restoration, he said.

Council Member Laura Price said that Royal Plus had an amazing organization and she was grateful for them getting the work done. She also expressed thanks to Moore for cutting his vacation short to come help the cleanup team figure out what steps to take.

Council Member Frank Divilio shared his gratitude for Moore, expressing how valuable and appreciated his work is.

“Brian, if there was an unsung hero award in Talbot County, you certainly deserve that,� he said. “The amount of work you do and the money you save this county — nobody will ever be able to put a dollar amount on it.�

Council Vice President Pete Lesher said he witnessed the damage at the courthouse before the last firetruck left the scene. Without the sprinklers, the building may not have been saved — but the sprinklers did leave a “monumental cleanup task.�

“Thank you so much for making this recovery so fast and just possible,� he said.

Council President Chuck Callahan said Moore and Royal Plus’s work was “top-notch� and the council appreciated everything they did to remediate the damage.

“What a phenomenal team,� he said.