Public can tour new Augusta County courthouse as it gets ready to open

The Augusta County government is inviting its community to celebrate the opening of the new county courthouse.

The ribbon cutting ceremony and an open house tour of the new facility at 100 Dick Huff Lane in Verona will begin at 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 3. After the opening ceremony, the parts of the building will be open to tours until 7 p.m.

The ceremony brings an end to the Augusta County Government Center Master Plan developed in 1988. Construction officially began with a March 2024 groundbreaking and ended with a cornerstone placement ceremony in March.

“Today’s courthouse was built with tomorrow in mind,” said Augusta County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff Slaven in a news release. “The courthouse marks a defining moment in our county’s history, bringing together law enforcement, government, and judicial services in one centralized location. This will serve the county well for generations to come.”

County offices at the government center will close at 3:30 p.m. June 3 to allow employees to attend the ceremony.

Court operations will begin in the building on June 15. The county’s downtown Staunton court facilities will be closed from June 8 to June 12 to allow staff time for the transition.

The building is about 124,000 square feet and will house the county’s circuit court, general district court, juvenile and domestic relations district court, the commonwealth’s attorney’s office, victim witness advocacy program, court service unit and magistrate’s office.

The county borrowed about $67 million to build the building. The contract with Branch Builds totals $62,329,484.

Reporting by Lyra Bordelon, Staunton News Leader