PARIS — Repairs to the Oxford County Courthouse means the Superior Court room won’t be usable from mid-July until Labor Day.

According to County Administrator Scott Cole, the state is taking bids on the project and will split the costs of repairing the water-damaged courtroom ceiling with Oxford County.

“They are hoping to get the work done between July 18 and Labor Day,” Cole said. “We expect to see the final plans and have a contractor identified at the June 21 commissioners’ meeting.”

Two panels of the courtroom ceiling have been gone for months, with clear plastic in their place showing the woodwork above.

Gladys Howard, clerk of courts for Oxford County, said Superior Court doesn’t convene in August, so the disruption will be minimal. In July, court could be held in the District Court next door, or even Androscoggin County Superior Court in Auburn.

“We haven’t quite decided, if there’s a jury trial, if we’re going to try to do that elsewhere or if that would just be continued to the next docket list,” Howard said.

Cole said the law makes counties responsible for housing Superior Court, and costs to the courtroom are split evenly between the state and county. Work on the courthouse roof, which is about to begin, is the county’s responsibility, he said. Interior renovation will begin when roof work is finished.

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