Alleghany Courthouse to reopen

Renovations to the Alleghany County Courthouse are on schedule, and the facility is slated to be "substantially complete" by Sept. 16, according to County Manager Don Adams.

He stated although the courthouse's completion is slated for mid- September, it is likely to take an additional two to three weeks to put the final touches on the facility. Renovations, including construction, on the facility are being done by Jefferson - based Vannoy and Reeves, who was awarded a contract on the work in October 2005. Work on the building began in December 2005.

"The primary goal is to have the courthouse ready for superior court that's suppose to occur in October," Adams said. "That's our real deadline."

Upon the completion of the renovations, the building will house the court system, including the clerk of court, adult and juvenile probation offices, the district attorney's office, the office of Superior Court Judge Richard Doughton, and the courtroom.

"In terms of where people are located, day-to-day personnel will be located on the main floor," Adams said. "The basement will be used as a second courtroom when needed. Upstairs will basically be for court and the back area used on court days. Generally speaking, the upstairs will be secured off from the general public except on court days."

Adams spoke of the different renovation projects that have occurred or are in the process of occurring at this time. Along with the major renovations to the courthouse itself, a new roof has been placed on the facility and the windows in the building have been replaced.

"These new windows are double-pained, better insulated aluminum windows," he said. "Basically what that means is they'll never have to be repainted, they'll actually be more energy-efficient and it will be a better sound-proof barrier inside the courtroom itself." Meanwhile, the courtroom has been "spruced up" with new carpet and new paint.

"A lot of people like the look of the courtroom...it's got a lot of oak finishes in it," Adams said. "All of that's being preserved and maintained."

The back stairwell, located behind the courtroom, has been removed. "By removing the back stairwell, it's really opened up and created additional space back there," Adams said. Located behind the renovated courtroom are a judge's chamber, a revamped jury room, an additional conference room for attorneys to meet with clients, as well as storage areas.

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