The Maine state flag and the United States flag fly at half-staff Feb. 23 at the Franklin County Courthouse on Main Street in Farmington. Andrea Swiedom/Franklin Journal
FARMINGTON — Commissioners voted Tuesday to reopen the Franklin County Courthouse on Main Street to the public March 29.
Franklin County is improving in regards to COVID-19 cases, county Clerk Julie Magoon said. With the county going into the budget process in mid-April, she suggested the building open in late March. People would need to adhere to COVID-19 protocol, including social distancing and wearing masks when entering and being in the building, she said.
The building has been closed to the public since mid-November. It was first closed to the public in mid-March 2020 because of pandemic and reopened June 11, 2020.
In other business, IT systems director Jim Desjardins told commissioners the county’s computer server needs to be updated. A server collects information and provides it to other computers within a network. The cost is $98,000, not including about $40,000 needed for software.
Commissioners Terry Brann of Wilton and Clyde Barker of Strong are aware of the situation, he said. Commissioner Lance Harvell of Farmington began his four-year term Jan. 1.
Desjardins said he tried to put more money away but the Budget Advisory Committee reduced the amount he requested. He has put $10,000 away each year and has $30,000 in a reserve account for the upgrade.
County staff went through all of the reserve accounts, Magoon said. There is $19,000 in an insurance reserve that can be used toward the upgrade, which brought the amount on hand to $49,000
Susan Black, county register of deeds, has about $100,00o in a surcharge account, Desjardins said.
Black said she would fund the rest of it through the account.
Franklin County Emergency Management Director Tim Hardy is also working on the next round of Homeland Security grants, Magoon said.
The software will need to be purchased next year, she said.
Commissioners voted to use the insurance money toward the purchase, and then voted to purchase the server equipment and authorized Desjardins to sign for it.
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