Court House Design renovations approved
A $1.8 million design contract for the proposed new Botetourt County Courthouse and renovation of other structures to accommodate the new structure received the nod from the Board of Supervisors the December 21, 2021 meeting.
The Supervisors in June had unanimously approved the proposed courthouse plan presented by Architectural Partners of Lynchburg at that time.
The plan consists of a new courthouse, removal and relocation of the Botetourt County History Museum, redesigning the Old General District Courthouse building for use by the Circuit Court during the next four years, redesigning an area in the Botetourt-Craig Public Safety Building for use as a Circuit Court during the same four years, and demolishing the Community Center building (formerly the Fincastle Rescue Squad building).
Additionally, plans call for several green spaces, including a spot for the county’s Confederate Monument, an obelisk that now sits on Main Street in front of the Botetourt County Courthouse. It will be relocated to a park-like area beside the Botetourt County History Museum, which will be moved behind the current Extension Office structure.
The funds approved recently are for the planning of all of these components as well as overseeing the moving of records in the Circuit Court. Demolition, construction, and other hands-on activities require additional funding. The entire project, now expected to be completed sometime in 2025, is expected to cost about $25 million.
— Anita Firebaugh, Special to the Botetourt Bee
