Courthouse one step closer to a revamp

VERONA - Plans are moving forward for a new courthouse design, after the Augusta County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a request for proposals for a new architectural design. 

Last year, the board set up a committee to come up with different options for the courthouse renovation.

Wednesday, the board approved to advertise a request for proposals for architectural and design services for the courthouse committee’s recommendation, according to Timothy Fitzgerald, Augusta County administrator.

The recommendation is to utilize property that Augusta County owns, Fitzgerald said.

"We plan to build a new court facility on the land where the general district court building is today," Fitzgerald said. "This will require the demolition on the current building."

The new court facility will accommodate Augusta County's Circuit Court, General District Court and the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, along with the clerks offices for each, Fitzgerald said. 

The existing 1901 circuit court building will be renovated and will accommodate the commonwealth attorney, court services unit and the magistrate.

The circuit court building renovations have already begun. Currently, improvements include cupola painting, the cleaning of the Lady Justice statue, bird deterrent installation and chimney repointing and repair for just under $170,000.

In January, the board approved a budget just shy of $275,000 for the roof work, factoring in a 10 percent contingency — costs are expected to be closer to $250,000. The money for the project will come from the capital improvement fund as well.

According to Fitzgerald, the current renovations are separate from the new roof.

During demolition, Beverly Manor Elementary School, which is vacant, will serve as the temporary courts for the Augusta County General District and Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and also the Commonwealth Attorney, the court services unit and the magistrate, Fitzgerald said.

Previous plans included renovating the existing building while adding onto it to expand the facility's footprint on the corner of North Augusta and East Johnson Streets. That would mean purchasing ten properties surrounding the courthouse. According to Fitzgerald, that is no longer in the plans.

Last year, the county projected a price tag of almost $39 million, but Fitzgerald said the county does not have an estimate on the newest project. 

Demolition is set for the newest project, but last year the City of Staunton said they were not on board with tearing down buildings in the historic district.

Currently, the county is looking for design proposals for the courthouse redesign and renovations. The renovations, plans or designs are not final at this point.

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Follow Laura Peters @peterslaura and @peterpants. You can reach her at lpeters@newsleader.com or 213-9125.