Proposal for new $67 million Franklin County courthouse facility unveiled

CHAMBERSBURG - County and project officials unveiled at $67 million building project that would increase the space used for county court and administrative business, including the judicial process.

County Project Manger John Hart introduced members of Scilling and Associates and Noelker & Hull Associates Inc., who talked through the project floor by floor, discussing the needs that will be met by the structures, during a meeting Wednesday afternoon. 

Hart added that the last time a major renovation was done to the Franklin County Courthouse, it was 1979 and the county only had two judges. Now the county's population is at more than 150,000, and there are five sitting judges.

"We've grown a little bit, folks," Hart said.

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More than that, Hart and, later, President Judge Carol Van Horn pointed out that in 2009, the courts were told they needed 40,000 square feet of additional space, but only expanded by 4,000 square feet after the project to totally rebuild the complex was dropped. 

The focus in planning this rebuild was on safety, efficiency and adequate work space, Hart said. They also intend to locate several county offices in downtown Chambersburg that are currently spread throughout the borough.

Tom Potts, with architecture firm Silling and Associates, presented a new building that would occupy the space currently inhabited by the county commissioners' building, on the north side of the old courthouse. The space would be expanded into a parking lot, and would in all add more than 108,000 square feet of space.

There would also be renovations done to the current court annex, located along Lincoln Way to the east of the old court house, and to the old courthouse to make them more user friendly and reorganize some of the offices inside, all with safety and convenience as the focus.

The county annex on South Second Street would also be looking at some renovations. The proposal also includes a new building for the county archives in the same block.

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At the courthouse complex, there would be an estimated six court rooms, with the ability to create more by moving some of the other administrative offices should the need arise.

In all, the finished courthouse complex would span more than 166,000 square feet.

Adult Probation, Juvenile Probation, Domestic Relations and the Chambersburg Magisterial District Judge's office would all move into the courthouse complex, and the spaces those offices currently occupy would be either sold or re-worked to fit different offices.

It's in spaces like that where Hart said some money could be recovered from the sale of those buildings. Additionally, some employees currently travel up to 45 minutes regularly across town to get from one office to the other; this project would prevent that, and could save thousands of dollars in gas, and time.

Another major consideration is making the buildings compliant to the American Disabilities Act, which the current buildings are not.

The county states that the project would save it approximately $8 million over 20 years, and could cost the owner of a $150,000 home in Franklin County about $29 per year. 

County Commissioner Robert Thomas was enthusiastic about getting the project going, saying "we can't deny that we are growing."

He is passionate about getting the buildings into ADA compliance, because right now the buildings are difficult for people with physical disabilities to get around.

"I think it's time we need to look hard at this time," Thomas said.

Commissioner Bob Ziobrowski said the need was established in 2009, and now the only questions are where do they put the building, how much will it cost and when can county officials move forward.

Though there was positive vocal response from members of the public, there were some that voiced concerns, like what would be done about parking, whether any green initiatives would be taken in the construction of the building, and whether juvenile court would have a space within the courthouse.

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Each issue was noted and officials said they would be taken into consideration as they continue formulating the plans. 

Allen Piper, of the Citizens for Responsible Government, spoke during the meeting generally in support of the project. Piper had been a vocal opponent back in 2010, but said now he knows the county needs it.

"I'm not fighting this project again," Piper said, asking only if it was because of increased crime that the need for the project was so big. 

Van Horn answered by saying that no, there is not necessarily an increase in crime, but the crime themselves are more violent. More than that, she said criminal court is only 40 percent of the court's case load, and all of the court's processes would benefit from the project.

Parking was not specifically addressed, with Hart saying that there is ongoing conversation about the issue but they were unable to give details while they still figure out what their options are. Though they are looking into a potential structure somewhere, they realize it is not likely to be in the same block as the courthouse complex.

A study commissioned by the Borough of Chambersburg, county commissioners, and other stakeholders recently produced an early design proposal. 

There has been no timeline given for how long the commissioners will consider the courthouse project proposal, but they invite public comment and will schedule open houses on the matter. The open houses will be posted to the county's website and Facebook page.

Project questions and comments can be emailed to: facilityprojectinfo@franklincountypa.gov.

Becky Metrick, 717-262-4762