Effort underway to increase usage of Historic Courthouse

A local elected official is involved in the formative stages of efforts to enable more use of the Historic Carroll County Courthouse. Carroll County Clerk of Circuit Court Gerald Goad would like to see improvements to the structure allow more accessibility, meeting space for local organizations and aid local tourism.

He said he is part of the Virginia Rural Leadership Institute (VRLI) which was founded to help retain, attract, and develop rural Virginians into innovative, responsible, civic-minded leaders who build strong communities. Goad said one of the requirements of the project is to come up with a community impact project.

“This would be any sort of project that would make a positive difference in the county. The classmates come from rural counties across the Commonwealth. I, of course, serve as clerk of court but a lot serve as tourism directors, economic development and a variety of different occupations that are in key leadership roles in order to make a difference for rural Virginians,” said Goad. “With talks with County officials, Historical Society members and being active in our recent historical play...there was a lot of discussion and we really wanted to do something for our historic courthouse. With have a great network and key resources now. I want to spearhead this project because we have such a gem in the courthouse. It truly is a gem and a representation of our County and what we stand for.”

He said there are many different reasons which dovetail with the project. One such reason is Goad, as Clerk of Circuit Court, is required to have a continuation of operations plan for emergency situations in case the building currently housing court isn’t able to be of use.

“We want to make sure we can utilize the historic courthouse for that just in case of an emergency situation...for example the water main break here in December 2022. We have to always be prepared for the future. With this, we are forming the Courthouse Preservation Committee back...it will be members of the county, the historical society, the genealogy club as well as town representatives in order to make plans and strategies in terms of making the courthouse handicapped accessible and repairing a lot damages which have occurred to the courthouse over time. We want to not only make sure of continued operations of the court but also be something that would, as there is still interest in plays, we could address concerns of folks who traveled across the country for the plays to have handicapped access and current safety requirements are met.”

Goad said he hopes the group would also consider utilizing the facility’s future use for meeting and tourism initiatives, music concerts and other types of things. He said having adequate facilities for groups would also benefit the county.

“The Historic Courthouse is on our county seal. If you Google Carroll County it is the first thing that comes up. I feel like it is my due diligence as Clerk of the Court of this county to make sure one of our most precious historic gems is protected, preserved and enhanced,” Goad said.

David Broyles may be reached at 276-779-4013 or on “X” at CarrollNewsDave