ALFRED — A commission charged with recommending a location for a proposed new York County Courthouse will later this month tour seven possible sites with the hope of coming up with a suggested site by November.
The commission, which is comprised of local legislators, county officials, judges, attorneys and others, met at York County Courthouse Thursday afternoon.
Later this year, the group will make its recommendation for a location for a new court building to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. The proposed new 133,000 square foot building would be designed to consolidate the functions of four courts in York County – the three district courts in Biddeford, Springvale and York, and York County Superior Court at the York County Courthouse in Alfred.
The commission was formed as a result of legislation sponsored by Democratic Sen. Linda Valentino of Saco that also provides $65 million to build the facility.
The commission is looking for a property with seven buildable acres, space for 300 parking spaces and a building footprint of 30,000 square feet.
The state received 27 property offers, said Maine Supreme Judicial Court Associate Justice Thomas Humphrey, chairman of the commission. Offers were accepted through Monday.
The 27 options were reviewed by architect Philip Johnston, who has overseen other court projects in the state and local businessman Ted Scontras who has a background in real estate. The two came up with seven recommendations which they presented to the group at Thursday’s meeting.
Among the factors the two looked at were cost, proximity to the current courthouse – which the group considers the center of the county – and the county jail, and access to the interstate.
A subcommittee reviewed the options and came up with recommendations that were almost identical to Johnston and Scontras, said Valentino, a member of the subcommittee.
Valentino said that access to I-95 is critical, as lawyers and those from out of the county with court appearances often use the highway to get to the area. Valentino said the vast majority of people appearing for appointments at York County Superior Court are from Biddeford; Sanford has the second largest number of people appearing at the court.
York County Sheriff Bill King noted that many people going to the courts for civil cases must go to the sheriff ’s office, which is located in Alfred next to the jail, for paperwork.
The seven sites include property adjacent to the York County Jail in Alfred, land near the Wells Transportation Center, a couple of locations in southern Biddeford on Elm Street, land next to the southbound turnpike plaza in Kennebunk, a property on Route 111 in Biddeford and a property on the Biddeford and Arundel town line.
“We’re looking at something that’s going to be there for 100 years,” said Valentino.
Humphrey noted the current courthouse was part of the history and the character of the county. He said when choosing the location and the design of the proposed new courthouse, officials needed to keep in mind the new building will become emblematic of the county.
The commission will, as a group, tour the seven sites on Sept. 19, before its scheduled meeting that afternoon. The committee is scheduled to meet twice in October, and hopes to reach a recommendation by its final meeting on Oct. 31. The group could meet again on Nov. 4 if a decision is not reached in October, said Humphrey.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
