The state of Maine is looking to purchase the building at 55 Lisbon St. that houses the District Attorney’s office. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
AUBURN — The state is looking to purchase and renovate the building that houses the Androscoggin County District Attorney’s office and connect it to the adjacent courthouse on Lisbon Street in Lewiston.
The Androscoggin County Commission learned of the state’s plans from Mike Perry, the administrator at the DA’s Lewiston office, at Wednesday night’s meeting.
The building is at 55 Lisbon St., next to 8th District Court, making the site attractive to the state to ensure office space is available for lawyers and other officials.
Built in 1921, the three-story structure is also home to Sen. Susan Collins’ regional office on the first floor. The Androscoggin County DA has its offices on the second floor. The third floor is vacant.
If the state is successful in purchasing the building, the DA would need to find a new home for the 18 to 24 months it would take to complete renovations, Perry said. He added that the state wants the DA staff to return to the building once the renovations are competed.
Work is not expected to begin until after the lease expires in two years. The county is paying $4,500 per month to lease the office space.
Perry said he was told by state officials that the plan is to gut the entire building and connect it with the courthouse next door. Work will include aligning the floors between the two buildings.
The state’s first priority, Perry said, is to fix the elevator, which has not worked since November. The DA’s office has not been able to get the building’s owner to fix the elevator or the leaky roof.
In other business, commissioners accepted the resignation of County Treasurer William Hall. His letter was dated June 22, a couple of weeks after he was hired. In his letter, Hall said he felt “this job isn’t a good fit.”
County Administrator Clarice Proctor said auditors visited the offices recently and are working remotely to complete the audit. “So far everything seems to be going fine,” she said.
She said she has worked with the sheriff and jail administrators to make adjustments to the budget to stay within the state-mandated cap. Proctor added that the jail will likely be overbudget next year.
Finding help through the various temp agencies has been difficult, Proctor said. “The candidates are either not qualified or are unable to pass the background check that is required,” she said.
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