A specialist says the courthouses should be improved to meet government standards.
By Gail Geraghty
Staff Writer

PARIS – Oxford County is being put on notice it will need to upgrade its district and superior courthouses to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

Several of the more obvious handicap accessibility improvements have been made at the buildings, such as installation of ramps, but more needs to be done to comply with the law.

Dennis Pratt, an architect and accessibility specialist with Alpha One, South Portland, prepared access surveys and evaluations of all judicial branch facilities in Maine, including both Paris courthouses at 26 Western Ave. and the Rumford District Court.

His analysis, delivered recently to the Oxford County commissioners, indicates that $56,100 would need to be spent for ADA upgrades at the Oxford County Superior Court, and that $48,800 would be needed for ADA improvements at the 11th District Court in South Paris.

Pratt said many improvements have already been made at the superior courthouse, constructed in 1895 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Alternative standards are allowed for such buildings “if following the usual standards would threaten or destroy the historic significance of a feature of the building.”

But the handrails of the handicapped ramp at the rear entrance are not in compliance, and there’s no designated, striped parking space for handicapped vans.

On the second floor, in the superior courtroom, the old orange rug definitely needs to be replaced, he said. “The carpet is all bunched up and stretched.” Furthermore, said Pratt, it’s very difficult to open the doors to the courtroom.

In addition, the signs need to be improved throughout the courthouse, he said. A fountain in the hallway needs to be adjusted so that it has a lower spigot for people in wheelchairs.

The judge’s bathroom is “very small,” Pratt said; the door doesn’t even open up all the way. And the table in the grand jury room does not accommodate wheelchairs.

“There are still significant improvements that could be made to the courthouse spaces to better accommodate the disability community,” Pratt said.

At the District Court, constructed in 1965, a vestibule with inside doors is too narrow for wheelchairs, and the ramp at the front entrance needs handrails.

Of particular note is a service counter, which Pratt said needs to be lowered on one end so that people in wheelchairs could do business at the counter. Other ADA required improvements are needed throughout the building, the report states.

At their recent meeting, commissioners said they needed to study the report and may have to put off any action until after the upcoming budget negotiations.

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