PARIS — County Administrator Scott Cole said that the Oxford County Courthouse expansion and renovation is estimated to be complete by May 2020.
The primarily state-funded project is part of a $90 million package funded by the Maine Legislature to make courthouses in Oxford, Waldo and York counties more secure.
Plans for the project include the construction of a two-story, 11,000-square-foot addition to the courthouse, renovations to the interior of the building, a $30,000 metal-detection system and extensive reconfiguration of traffic flow and parking areas at the county campus on Western Avenue.
The project is estimated to cost $14 million, Cole said.
Cole said that construction will begin “as soon as the ground thaws in spring 2018.”
He added that the project consists of “21,560 gross square feet of new construction and 4,950 square feet of renovation.”
Cole also announced that the project would go out to bid on Jan. 23, with subcontractor bid openings set for 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20 and general contractor bid openings set for 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27.
In order to prepare for the project, Cole said that the county had to purchase real estate in the area adjacent to the courthouse.
The cost for the real estate purchases, after state reimbursement, was $455,000, Cole said.
He said that the county purchased “four parcels with houses in 2017,” with two of the tenants expected to continue living on the property.
Supporting Sponsor for the Advertiser Democrat
Keeping communities informed by supporting local news. norwaysavings.bank
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less