Grafton looks at redesign, revised cost of new courthouse

Grafton County officials are looking at a redesign and revised cost for the proposed new county courthouse.

In late 2025, a 64,668-square-foot, $47 million new building had been presented to replace the existing courthouse of about 40,000 square feet that was built in the early 1970s, and that county officials said is costing more to maintain and has become too small to meet today’s needs for its occupants, which include the county sheriff’s department and county attorney’s office.

The state of New Hampshire also leases space for the district and superior courts.

During the Grafton County Commission’s meeting on March 17, county maintenance supervisor Jim Oakes asked the commissioners about their thoughts on removing the peaked roof design to potentially reduce costs.

The three commissioners agreed to obtain a price on the new layout without the peaked roof.

A summary of the changes, including input from some county departments, states that the most significant change to the proposed building is locating the judicial branch on the first floor and all county offices on the second floor.

Requesting the change was Grafton County Sheriff Jillian Myers, who said that the configuration would make it easier to secure the building.

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The change would place the vehicle sallyport at the basement level and might drive up costs.

Lavallee Brensinger Architects stated that the decorative roofs at the front entrance could add several hundred thousand dollars to the project and asked if the commission is adamant about keeping them.

The county attorney’s office, sheriff’s department and dispatch, and probation and parole were the only departments that provided reduction inputs, which, according to the summary, total 250 square feet of reduced space.

“Once the revised space plans and exterior designs are approved, we will follow up with a revised site plan and updated pricing,” Doug Shilo, senior associate with Lavallee Brensinger Architects, wrote to county officials.

During an October listening session in Littleton, where county officials presented the plan as proposed at that time, most area residents who turned out voiced opposition to the proposed new courthouse and questioned the cost and need.

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