BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) - Beaufort County is considering how to use the federal courthouse in Beaufort once the federal courts move out later this year.
The Beaufort Gazette reports (https://bit.ly/Rd4zHw ) the federal lease on the ornate courthouse owned by the county expires this summer. The courthouse is one of 10 that the federal government is closing across the county in order to save money. The federal government pays $1 million in rent for the Beaufort courthouse.
The county could end up using the courthouse for space for county offices.
One existing building in the county’s government complex has water damage and will be more expensive to repair than replace. That building now houses a magistrate court and the county information technology department.
County Administrator Gary Kubic said the federal courthouse could house county administrative staff and county council, which would free up space for other departments in other county buildings.
The courthouse, dedicated in 1883, served as the county courthouse for many years and became a federal courthouse in 1994. Kubic said federal probation agents still work out of the courthouse.
County Council Chairman Paul Sommerville and Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling say they want the public to have access to the building and its ornate courtroom.
“We can’t just let it sit there,” Sommerville said. “The bottom line is, it’s a building that has a tremendous amount of history.”
“I want to see something alive and well there,” Keyserling added. “It’s a beautiful building. I would hope that whatever use would keep the courtroom intact.”
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Information from: The Beaufort Gazette, https://www.beaufortgazette.com
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