A Penobscot County district courthouse will remain closed three months longer than originally planned.
The Lincoln District Courthouse is closed until Oct. 3. The building, located at 52 Main St., was closed June 27 after a flood and was originally supposed to reopen Friday.
This is the second district court in Penobscot County to remain closed for an extended period after damage to the building. The closures force people to drive to another courthouse, which in Penobscot County takes at least 30 minutes.
No other counties have ongoing closures, according to the judicial branch’s website.
Water and mold issues need to be adequately addressed at the Lincoln District Courthouse, judicial spokesperson Barbara Cardone said. There are still issues to be fixed and the judicial branch is working with the building’s landlord, she said.
The extended closure will allow the courts enough time to make sure issues are fixed, Cardone said. It should also lead to less confusion than having multiple closure extensions, she said.
People now need to drive to the Millinocket District Court, 207 Penobscot Ave., to conduct business they would normally do in Lincoln. It’s at least a 40 minute drive, according to Google Maps.
The district courthouse at 12 Water St. in Newport closed abruptly Jan. 27 because of mold. It is still closed and there is no timeline for reopening. All Newport cases are heard at the judicial center in Bangor.
