A new courthouse may be built in Newport after its former location was found to be infested with mold.
The Maine Judicial Branch is requesting information about properties that may be suited to build a new courthouse, spokesperson Barbara Cardone exclusively told the Bangor Daily News.
The former district courthouse at 12 Water St. in Newport closed abruptly Jan. 27 because of mold. The facility was rented and the landlord canceled the lease before he finished remediating the mold, Cardone said.
There has been no district court in Newport for nearly 10 months and there is no timeline for one to reopen, Cardone said. Maine state law mandates a district court in Newport to serve western Penobscot County. Without it, people in the area instead have to drive to Bangor to conduct court business, at least 28 miles farther each way to reach a courthouse.
The request for information, which will be posted on the state’s vendor site, outlines what is needed in a site to build a new courthouse. The land must be near “Newport’s urban core,” have 200 feet of road frontage and have 3 buildable acres, according to the request Cardone provided to the BDN.
The property can have a building on it that can be renovated or demolished, according to the request.
“We are exploring all options, and this is the best way to gather useful information,” Cardone said.
The former Newport courthouse is now for sale. The nearly 5,000-square-foot building is listed for $725,000, real estate agent Bill Riley said. The property has been on the market for about two weeks, and as of Tuesday, it had been once again offered for sale to the state, Riley said.
The two parties could not agree on price, he said.
“I think we’ve basically exhausted our time with the state,” Riley said.
The mold had not been remediated as of late May, Cardone said at the time. That remediation is done and there are two clean mold tests, Riley said.
