County Commissioners mull future use of York County Court House
- Tammy L Wells
- 13 minutes ago
- 3 min read
ALFRED, Maine – York County Commissioners have begun a conversation about possible future uses of the landmark York County Court House.
While the stately brick court building in Alfred is home to the York County Probate Court, the Registry of Probate, the Registry of Deeds and various others, like the York County Co-operative Extension Agency, the building is not as busy as it has been in the recent past.
Commissioners on Dec. 3 began a discussion on potentially swapping York County Court House for the former Springvale District Court building, currently owned by Sanford Housing Authority. SHA would then create senior housing units inside the Alfred court building, and the county departments would relocate to the Springvale property.
It was the beginning of a conversation to discuss the stately brick building that was constructed in 1807 and rebuilt after a fire gutted the central portion in 1933.
SHA acquired the Springvale District Court property in late 2024 through legislation, with a view to creating 18 apartments aimed at people 55 and older. But renovating the Springvale court to apartment units is not cost effective, York County Manager Greg Zinser told commissioners. He said SHA has estimated the York County Court House could yield 34 units and a childcare component.
“What is the desire of the county,” Zinser asked commissioners. “Is (the building) something you want to maintain? I’m putting this out there for general thoughts.”
“People ask me all the time, are we fixing it or selling it,” Commission Chair Richard Dutremble said.
Zinser noted there are expenses associated with upkeep to the old brick structure. There are issues with the bell tower, portions of the brick need repointing, the 2007 geothermal system needs expensive repairs, and there are issues with the well system that supports it.
“It breaks my heart to have to let it go because of the history, and it is a beautiful building but with the major projects the county has taken on and additional expenses financially, it is probably the best we can do,” said Commissioner Donna Ring. She said a public meeting would be a good opportunity to hear from York County residents.
“I’d hate to see that courtroom disassembled and made into housing units,” said Commissioner Richard Clark. “I have questions about moving the records out of the county seat – I don’t think that’s appropriate. At this moment I am not approving of this. I’d want a lot more public input... I’m just not convinced. Maybe I’m old and stuck in a different time, but I think that (it) is valuable.”
Commissioner Justin Chenette said it would be helpful for the board to have schematics of the two buildings and to understand maintenance costs associated with the Springvale court building.
“When we toured the Alfred courthouse it seemed like we were moving forward with rental,” Chenette said. “What is the rental capacity of Springvale?”
Zinser said current income from renting office space at the courthouse is about $40,000 annually. And, he said he believed there would be room for rental space at the Springvale building. He said operationally, the cost to run the two buildings would be similar. “We’re talking about avoided costs in capital repairs,” Zinser said.
Chenette favored a public meeting, “almost like a public visioning,” he said. “There might be ideas that could be helpful to us.”
Zinser later said he would craft a public hearing notice for commissioners to consider at an upcoming meeting.
