BY KEVIN SHALVEY

In the past, the metal chairs in Merrimack District Court have been used as weapons because they’re not bolted down to the floor.

The courthouse, which is used by Bedford police and prosecutor, has been the cause of many safety concerns over its 30-year history, said Merrimack Town Manager Keith Hickey, who previously served as Bedford’s manager.

The court handles Bedford, Merrimack, Litchfield, state Fish and Game, small claims and civil suits, and is located on Merrimack town property, connected to the town office building on Baboosic Lake Road.

Merrimack officials recently renewed the state’s lease for the town building, but, because of safety concerns, they renewed it for only a six-month period. The usual lease has been five-year periods, Hickey said.

“The town feels that there were significant enough safety concerns for town employees and town officials,” Hickey said.

The new lease expires Dec. 31, at which point the state might consider building a new facility, he said.

Clerk Lynn Killkelley has worked at the court for 27 years, and said she hasn’t seen much change in the building, aside from a metal detector which was installed about five years ago.

There are no cells, just a room for prisoners. The tight hallway leaves barely enough room for passing a shackled defendant into the courtroom, she said.

“Oh definitely, you can’t walk through. If the prisoners need to use the bathroom, they have to walk them out and downstairs because there’s only one bathroom,” said Killkelley.

Bedford prosecutor Bill Thornton agreed the hallway isn’t safe for visitors or staff, including Judge Clifford Klinghorn.

“If he has to take a nature break, he has to walk down the same hallway and use the same bathroom,” said Thornton.

Bedford Police Chief David Bailey said the courthouse hasn’t kept up with the types of crimes being tried there.

“It’s not safe for anybody. There’s no holding cells,” he said.

In addition to safety concerns, administrators also worry about confidentiality for defendants and juveniles, room for paperwork and accessibility.

Killkelley said filing cabinets fill the back of the courtroom.

“We’ve just outgrown the space,” she said.

There are also problems with handicapped accessibility -- with a lift that carries wheelchairs up the wide front stairs, said Thornton.

“Ten, 20 years ago, it was probably adequate for what the needs were. Now, things have changed,” said Thornton.

Talking with defendants, too, is a problem because there’s nowhere to get out of earshot, Thornton said. And, when a juvenile is in the courtroom, other defendants sometimes sit in the lobby with visitors, he said.

“They’re out there with all the people -- in their shackles,” he said.

Juveniles, too, don’t have a separate holding room.

“The holding of juveniles is totally inappropriate,” he said.

The state is now looking into options for a new courthouse in Merrimack, which would come with a $7 million price, said Hickey.

“It’s an old building. It’s been a courthouse for over 30 years and it started out as a traffic court,” said Hickey.

“Everybody’s looking forward to the new courthouse. It’s long overdue,” said Thornton.