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Published: Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013 / Updated: Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013 12:19 PM

$6 million renovation to start at York courthouse

YORK -- 

Asbestos and lead-based paint soon will be cleared from the York County Courthouse in York, making way for a $6 million renovation project to begin.

The County Council on Tuesday unanimously approved contracting with ECS Carolinas – an environmental engineering and testing company – to create a plan for environmental clean-up at the century-old courthouse.

The building is slated for major renovations expected to be finished around December 2015.

The renovations have been delayed for several years because the county changed architects in 2011 and could not borrow money for the project after a spending proposal failed to gain public support.

Money for the renovations was designated in 2008 to come from the county’s construction projects budget.

After years of waiting, County Council Chairman Britt Blackwell said he’s glad to see the progress on courthouse renovations.

“This has kind of been on the slow track,” he said. “We really need to get this in high gear now before I get another call from another judge.”

The courthouse must be empty before renovations can begin.

Most of the courthouse functions and employees have been moved to new spaces owned by the county. Some offices and employees are in temporary spaces, waiting to reoccupy the courthouse.

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