Perth County courthouse elevator now in service

After 18 months of construction and spending just more than $1 million, Perth County took a giant leap forward this week in making its historic 1887 courthouse building in Stratford accessible.

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Public works director John McClelland said Friday county staff, project contractor Elgin Contracting and Restoration Ltd., and the many subcontractors involved in the project worked hard to install the three-storey, fully accessible elevator while accommodating county staff and both the Superior and provincial offenses courts that operate in the building.

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“We started in May 2022 and, on Nov. 1, the elevator was certified and approved by (the Technical Standards and Safety Authority),” McClelland said. “So we have an operational elevator here in the courthouse that’s self-service and fully (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) compliant.”

Though the elevator’s installation took a little longer than planned, McClelland said he’s pleased with how work proceeded, given the courthouse building’s age and the fact it wasn’t built with an elevator or even general accessibility in mind back at the end of the 19th century .

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“Excavating for the elevator shaft and the underpinning of the courthouse foundation, a lot of that was hand work and then it was trying to get material up and out of the lower level of the courthouse,” McClelland said. “It was just some things like that with the project that were time consuming. We still had to maintain Superior Court schedules and provincial offenses court schedules, so typically we weren’t able to do any construction work during those days or weeks.”

As part of the installation of the elevator, which is located centrally in the building and close to the courthouse stairs, the courthouse also underwent a number of associated renovations aimed at improving accessibility, including the construction of an accessible universal washroom on the second floor, improved and more accessible access to a first-floor boardroom, and a strategic shuffle of some of the third-floor offices and that level’s public washroom.

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“It’s a game changer is what it is. … There’s still some minor finishing work to be done … (but) as far accessibility in the building, this elevator and that accessible washroom (on the second floor) greatly enhances the accessibility features within this facility,” McClelland said.

Elsewhere on the county courthouse campus, McClelland said work on a $5-million renovation that will connect the county’s former land registry office at 5 Huron St. to the county courthouse building is proceeding well.

“The contractor basically has (the interior of) 5 Huron demolished and they’ve started putting in studs for walls and things like that,” McClelland said. “We’ve excavated in between the courthouse and 5 Huron, we’ve done most of the underpinning and have also poured foundation for the elevator that sits within the connecting link addition and will serve both levels of 5 Huron. They’ve also poured the foundation for the stairwell as well.”

Construction on that project began in July and is expected to finish next summer. Once complete, the courthouse, 5 Huron St. and the connecting link between the two buildings will serve as a consolidated Perth County headquarters.

As access to the Perth County courthouse main entrance off the courthouse campus parking lot is now restricted due to construction, members of the public are being asked to use the courthouse entrance off of St. Andrew Street. While that entrance is locked for security purposes, visitors can push the intercom button to request entrance.

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