BY DAVID THACKHAM
YORK
Members of the public are invited to attend the grand opening this month of the newly renovated York County Courthouse.
The grand opening, which will take place at 3 p.m. Jan. 29, will include a ribbon cutting and a short program with light refreshments.
Officials also will open a 1914 time capsule and allow the public to walk through the courthouse.
“Renovation of this historic county structure, that reflects our country’s great values of the past, is important to both our present and future generations of Americans,” said York County Council Chair Britt Blackwell.
“Also, this renovation came at a cost savings to our taxpayers,” Blackwell said. “The council hopes everyone at the grand opening enjoys touring this stately and now functional hall of justice for York County.”
The renovated courthouse will provide offices for the Clerk of Court, the Court of Common Pleas, Probate and Master in Equity.
The courthouse has undergone about $10 million worth of renovations over the past few years. The main courtroom got a noticeable facelift: The space now has refurbished wood floors, a cathedral-style ceiling and a new sprinkler system. There are two smaller courtrooms downstairs, one for probate court and one for Master in Equity cases.
The courthouse has two elevators on opposite sides of the building and accessible ramps to bring the building in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Crews dug a small pit on the first floor for the bottom of the elevator shaft, which will reach all four floors.
Clerk of Court David Hamilton said it was “hard to put into words” the excitement of the long-awaited opening.
“Each and every corner of this incredible building has been restored or renovated,” Hamilton said, “and I believe everyone will agree that it is truly a work of art.”
Before the most recent work began in 2015, the building had been shuttered for years while on-and-off renovations were done. The work stalled when cost projections overran what the county budgeted.
Workers with Cumming Construction Management and Leitner Construction Co. came together for the extensive project.