York County court upgrades win initial passage in Senate

AUGUSTA — A bill to construct a modern, consolidated courthouse in York County won the unanimous support of The Maine Senate in a preliminary vote on Monday.

The bill, LD 1528, “An Act to Modernize and Consolidate Court Facilities,”would provide funding for a new courthouse in York County and create a “York County Courthouse Site Selection Commission,” which will deliberate on where in York County the new courthouse should be located.  It would include a bipartisan group of local lawmakers, county officials, judicial officials, law enforcement, local attorneys and designees of the governor.

“Residents of the state’s second-most populous county deserve a safe, modern courthouse that ensures justice is accessible — and speedy — for everyone,” said Sen. Valentino. “This bill will get us there. I’m thankful for the Senate’s support, and look forward to this bill becoming law.

The York County Courthouse in Alfred is outdated and ill-equipped to deal with its current caseload. Cases are often delayed for more than a year because of a lack of suitable trial space.

The Courthouse was originally constructed in 1806, when the local communities were small and rural.  Today, York County the second-most populous county in the state. Its caseload is nearly that of Cumberland County’s, the state’s most-populous, but York’s judicial facilities fall woefully behind Cumberland’s. WMTW recently toured the Courthouse, reporting that the building had “outlived its use.”

“Cramped space is an inconvenience, but exposed pipes, exposed wires, several bathrooms that are virtually impossible for a handicapped person to access, those are all problems. Orange-clad prisoners frequently share the hallways with everyone else,” reported WMTW journalist Paul Merrill. “… Maine’s top judicial official, Chief Justice Leigh Saufley, said the lack of safety in old courthouses like this one terrifies her.”

The bill, which also provides funding for courthouse modernization in Waldo and Oxford Counties, has the support of Maine Supreme Judicial Court Justice Leigh Saufley, Gov. Paul LePage, local and county-level officials in York County, and local and county-level law enforcement.

The bill faces further votes in the House and Senate.

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