Ellsworth officials suggest new spot for proposed courthouse

Ellsworth officials are encouraging the state to consider building a new courthouse near the commercial corridor on High Street, rather than in a more residential area that has previously been proposed as the site.

The alternate site off High Street, behind Merrill Furniture, would eliminate concerns that a new courthouse in the city would cause problems for nearby residents, city officials say.

People who live on Surry Road near where the state has said it wants to build a new courthouse have objected to the proposal , arguing it would cause traffic problems and jar with the residential character of the neighborhood.

The dispute is an example of how the city’s growth and increased demand for services in recent years, which stems from more economic activity in Hancock County in general, has sometimes caused friction with nearby residents. Other examples include the opening in 2018 of a composting firm on Industrial Road , and a low-barrier apartment building on Birch Avenue that caters to people trying to recover from substance use disorder and other behavioral issues.

When officials with the Maine Judicial Branch announced earlier this year that they planned to build at the Surry Road site, they said they considered roughly 20 other locations in Ellsworth. None of them met the state’s criteria of being large enough for a modern building that has ample parking and that is centrally located in the city, they said.

This includes the current courthouse on State Street, which is shared with Hancock County governmental offices and was constructed in the 1930s after a previous courthouse on the same site burned down. The lot is not big enough to accommodate further expansion, and it would be too costly and complicated to renovate the aging building to meet modern security and technology standards, state officials have said.

Since the Surry Road site was announced as the state’s preferred location, Ellsworth city officials have taken on a more active role in trying to allay residents’ concerns and in vetting other possible locations that might meet the state’s needs. In Hancock County, the state wants to build a new facility that has four courtrooms, at least eight conference rooms, 125 public parking spaces, and separate parking and entrances for the public and staff.

The state has been considering options for upgrading its court facilities in Ellsworth for a few years, as part of a comprehensive effort to modernize courthouses throughout Maine. That effort has included the expansion or construction of new courthouses in Augusta, Bangor , Belfast , Biddeford , Machias and other locations.

City officials have identified nine other locations in Ellsworth that show promise as possible new courthouse locations, though some of them could prove to be unsuitable, depending on issues such as wetlands or access to infrastructure.

At a workshop Thursday night, city officials said the site that shows the most promise is an undeveloped 44-acre lot behind Merrill Furniture. It is accessible directly from the city’s commercial High Street thoroughfare, instead of through a residential neighborhood, and is close to city water and sewer. It also is directly adjacent to the Downeast Sunrise Trail.

“That’s a really good site,” Michael Harris, the city’s public works director, said to roughly 20 people at the workshop. “It checks a lot of the boxes. Not all of them, but once you get into the site it has a lot of potential.”

Card Brook borders part of the property, so there likely are some wetlands there that would limit development, but at 44 acres there should be enough room to build what the state needs, city officials agreed.

There also are other properties adjacent to it that could be developed that would economically benefit the city if car and pedestrian access is extended to the site, they said. There already are multiple lanes off High Street and Downeast Highway — including Merrill Lane, Long Lane, Resort Way, and the access road for Walgreens and Hampton Inn — that have potential as access points, they said.

“That appears to be the best site,” said local resident Steve Shea, whose family owns a local contracting firm.

Charlie Pearce, Ellsworth’s city manager, said that he plans to send information about the site off High Street, along with other potential building locations, to state officials. He said the judicial branch does not want the site selection process to drag on, but it has been willing to consider other locations that meet its needs and may be preferred by local officials and residents.

“It’s got to fit all their needs, but they’ve been very receptive to alternatives and very helpful in the process” of the city identifying other possible sites, Pearce said. “It’s their call.”