MERE WEEKS FROM completion, the new $2.6 million Jaffrey-Peterborough District Courthouse was destroyed by fire Feb. 28, forcing the court to stay in its current home in an old factory for at least another year.

The new 2-½ story, 24,000-square-foot courthouse in the Monadnock Plaza on Route 202 had been under construction since May 2001. It was about a month from completion and court officials expected to move in May 13.

Jaffrey-Peterborough District Court serves the towns of Dublin, Fitzwilliam, Greenville, Hancock, Jaffrey, New Ipswich, Peterborough, Rindge, Sharon, Temple and Troy. The current courthouse is a one-story concrete block structure that used to be a New Hampshire Ball Bearings factory building. The makeshift court’s walls do not go up to the ceiling, allowing noise to disrupt the courtroom and offices, and its bathrooms, heating and ventilation systems are substandard, among other inadequacies. The district court moved into the building, which was supposed to be temporary quarters, in 1987.

The new courthouse had space for courtrooms, offices, jury deliberations, holding cells, conference rooms and records storage.

The fire was called in during the early morning hours of Feb. 28. By the time firefighters arrived, the building was engulfed by an intense fire. Firefighters responded from a half-dozen towns to the three-alarm blaze, but could not save the structure. Nobody was hurt in the fire and court records, furniture and other items had not yet been moved in.

The state fire marshal’s office is investigating the cause of the fire, but officials don’t think it is of a suspicious nature. The building’s alarm system and sprinklers had not yet been hooked up.

The new courthouse was insured. Peter Goodwin, administrator of the Bureau of Court Facilities, said he expects construction on the new court will start over. "We’re likely to rebuild; this sets us back a year or so," Goodwin said. He said that the court has extended its lease for the current facility by six months and is talking with the landlord about extending it further.

The fire strikes a blow to court employees, who were looking forward to moving into their new home. "We’ve been looking forward to moving for 13 years," said Court Clerk Danielle Bosse the day after the fire. "The judge (L. Phillips Runyon) and I toured it (the new court) just last week. I can’t find the words to describe how we feel right now."

Home | About the Bar | For Members | For the Public | Legal Links | Publications | Online Store
Lawyer Referral Service | Law-Related Education | NHBA•CLE | NHBA Insurance Agency | NHMCLE
Search | Calendar

New Hampshire Bar Association
2 Pillsbury Street, Suite 300, Concord NH 03301
phone: (603) 224-6942 fax: (603) 224-2910
email: NHBAinfo@nhbar.org
© NH Bar Association Disclaimer