New Courthouse update
The Board of Supervisors heard an update on progress with the construction of a new county courthouse during the meeting on April 26, 2022.
The project has been broken into two phases: one includes creating a temporary Circuit Court and moving documents as well as moving the old museum and the Confederate monument; the second is the actual construction of the courthouse.
Bids for the actual courthouse construction are expected to be sent out in April 2023. The new courthouse replicates the façade of the current structure, according to officials with Architectural Partners, a Lynchburg firm overseeing the process. Officials stressed that the facility would have the same “image” and “historic elements” as the current facility.
The new courthouse would have three levels and only one public entrance. Everyone entering the courthouse would be screened for security reasons. “It will be a very secure building,” officials said. After gaining entry, the public would be able to access the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, the courtrooms, and the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
Officials called the new courthouse a “facility that not only supports court activities but becomes a linchpin for the town [Fincastle] as well.” A village green, to be located where the current parking lot is beside the courthouse, could become a focal point for future festivals and other public events.
The Treasurer’s Office and Commissioner of the Revenue’s Office would remain at the Botetourt County Administration Building at the Botetourt Center at Greenfield.
Supervisor Chairman Richard Bailey said the new courthouse is “sorely needed” for multiple reasons, including safety, handicapped access, and health concerns related to mold and other degradation issues of the current structure.
He also noted that the courthouse is being paid for with more than $30 million in bonds that the Economic Development Authority secured in early April.
— Anita Firebaugh, Special to The Botetourt Bee
