Franklin County's top stories of 2018: Courthouse project plays role in revitalization of Chambersburg
This is one of our top five stories of 2018.
This time next year, Chambersburg's Memorial Square area will look very different as the county's new judicial center starts rising along North Main Street.
Demolition of a set of three buildings began in December. The old Lighten Up Chambersburg building is gone, and the neighboring buildings that once housed Wogan's Uniform Shop and the offices of the Franklin County Commissioners are up next.
The contract to build the judicial center is to be bid in the first quarter of 2019.
More:Courthouse project: What are your tax dollars actually paying for?
The $67.8 million Court Facility Improvement Project includes the construction of a new judicial center and administration building, as well as interior renovations to the existing courthouse annex, the old courthouse and a building on North Second Street for archives office space and storage.
The project was a long time in the making. County officials considered such a project years ago to ease congestion and improve security in the current courthouse, but then the Recession struck.
“This project goes back almost 20 years," Franklin County Commissioner Bob Thomas said earlier this year. "We’ve been doing Band-Aid approaches for 20 years. We did look at this 10, nine, eight years ago. Today the stars are aligned.”
Construction is expected to take three years.
The courthouse project is one of several parts in the revitalization of Chambersburg.
More:Chamberburg's bigger, better and brighter Borough Hall officially open for business
To the north in the Grant Street area, breweries and a winery are working to attract a younger crowd to the area. The Grant Street Loft, which holds an event center and commercial kitchen for The Butcher Shoppe, recently opened at the corner of Grant and Second streets.
To the south, the Borough of Chambersburg recently celebrated the opening of its bigger, better and brighter Borough Hall.
