Lowell Sun editorial of future of Superior Courthouse

Yesterday's Lowell Sun had an editorial urging the state's Division of Capital Asset Management to get an early start on finding a new use for the Middlesex Superior Courthouse in Lowell which is the current home of the Registry of Deeds. The state expects to break ground for the new Judicial Center in the summer of 2012 with the building taking 30 months to complete. That would mean the Superior Court operations would be ready to move in early 2015. Presumably the registry of deeds would also vacate this building at the same time. Since we have digitized all of our records, the amount of space needed for the registry is relatively modest as are the requirements of such a space. The big question will then be what to do with the vacant courthouse? The fear of many is that it will remain vacant and slowly deteriorate which is why it is important to begin and continue the conversation about it's reuse. If people are thinking and talking about the building, it increases the odds that someone will find a new use for it.