AUBURN — A year after Androscoggin County commissioners were presented with a remodeling plan for the county courthouse in Auburn totaling more than $34 million, they have a scaled-back concept with a price tag of $10 million.
“We wanted to know what $10 million would get us,” said Randall Greenwood, chairman of the three-member commission. “Now we know.”
Nothing is certain and no spending has been approved yet to update the Civil War-era structure at Court and Turner streets.
The money could replace the roof and electrical system and make big fixes to handicapped accessibility, plumbing and mechanical systems. Harriman architects of Auburn and Ricci Greene Associates of Providence, R.I., authored the roughly 50-page report.
“At least we have the data and we can slowly pick away at projects to keep this building functional,” Greenwood said.
The first report included the purchase of the YMCA property next door, additions and a multilevel parking garage, and was too expensive to contemplate, all three commissioners agreed Wednesday. It’s cost could have reached as high as $36.8 million, if all suggested changes were made.
“We could flatten this building and build new for a lot less than that,” Greenwood said.
Commissioner Elaine Makas said she liked the new report’s ability to highlight changes that would improve safety.
Among the issues is the need to find a route to move inmates from the jail to the Superior Court without passing through public spaces.
Typically, jail staff escorts shackled inmates through court halls. Sometimes, victims awaiting appearances in court must stand by while their abusers pass by.
“What can we do in the interim to improve the situation?” Makas asked. One temporary alternative might be to move inmates through the basement.
The new plan would set aside about $750,000 to deal with the issue, perhaps one day constructing a catwalk between the jail and the courthouse.
Any spending is a long ways away, commissioners insisted.
A multimillion dollar project would likely be bonded and require a countywide referendum for approval.
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