AIUBURN — Another department within Androscoggin County government is looking to move out of its home.
The District Attorney’s Office at 55 Lisbon St., adjacent to the 8th District Court building in Lewiston, has two years to relocate its offices, preferably in downtown Lewiston near the court.
The state is in the midst of buying the DA’s Office building. Mike Perry, administrator at the DA’s Lewiston office, first revealed the proposal to the Androscoggin County Commission last July. The state is expected to remove the walls between the two structures and connect the hallways.
The renovations would provide attorneys and their clients with space for private consultations.
The original plan from last summer would have seen the DA’s Office employees return to their former home after the state’s renovations. That recently changed, Perry said, creating the need to move to a new facility.
Commissioners held a workshop Wednesday night to discuss potential options. While some specific locations were discussed, much of the conversation centered on the general needs for the DA’s office.
The new facility would need more than 5,200 square feet — the size of the current office space. Each attorney would require his or her own room to insure privacy with clients and witnesses.
Perry said security should be a top consideration. For example, he said the Kennebec County DA’s Office has its own security guard.
He said the move could take months to complete. The office, which is on the second floor and has storage space on the third floor, has dozens of huge bank boxes of files from past cases. The department is required to keep those files for at least seven years. Those would need to be moved to the new facility from a building that lacks a working elevator.
The county is paying $4,500 per month to lease the office space. Whether the county will lease space or purchase a new building still needs to be determined.
Interim County Administrator Eric Samson said he will reach out to commercial real estate agents to help the county explore its options.
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