LOCAL

Franklin County celebrates groundbreaking on judicial center

Staff report

Construction of Franklin County's judicial center is officially underway. 

County, development and other local leaders gathered on the Courthouse Plaza n Chambersburg last week to "break ground" on the construction phase of the Court Facility Improvement Project. Workers have been preparing the ground on which the judicial center will be built for months, following the demolition of the buildings that once stood there. 

The $67.8 million project will the result in the judicial center on North Main Street, an administration building and archives building on either corner of North Second and Grant streets, and renovations and upgrades at the courthouse and courthouse annex along Lincoln Way East and Memorial Square.

Construction is on schedule and expected to be completed in two years. 

Mark Miller, Downtown Business Council; Steve Christian, Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce; Mary Beth Shank, County Solicitor; Bob Thomas, Commissioner; Dave Keller, Commissioner Chairman; Bob Ziobrowski, Commissioner; Carrie Gray, County Administrator; John Wetzel, Pennsylvania Secretary of Corrections; Mike Ross, Franklin County Area Development Corporation.

More than 70 people gathered Thursday at a ceremony in the historic Courtroom One in the courthouse. County commissioners, Mike Ross of Franklin County Area Development Corporation, Mark Miller of the Downtown Business Council, Steve Christian from the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce and Pennsylvania Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel gave remarks. An invocation and blessing was offered by Pastor Catherine Boileau of First United Methodist Church of Chambersburg. County Administrator Carrie Gray acted as Master of Ceremonies.

“As County Commissioners, as judges, as elected officials, and as employees–we are charged with doing better for our community. We are charged with meeting needs when and where they arise. This courthouse campus, the future Administration Building and Archives Facility—they are the result of centuries of progress, trials and tribulations, decision making, community partnerships and collaboration,” Commissioner Dave Keller said. “Our citizens are our customers and through this project we will be able to serve them better."

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“The change that is coming here will be efficiency like no one has ever seen before in this county,” Commissioner Bob Thomas said. 

Commissioner Bob Ziobrowski remarked that the project will be delivered on time and on budget. “The tax increase of 1.5 mills has already been levied. There will be no additional tax increases from this project,” he said.

The project - plans for which remained stagnate for years over support and funding issues before finally getting off the ground a few years ago - will improve safety and security in the county's court facilities and allow the county to operate more efficiently. 

Check out photo galleries of the demolition on North Main:

Photos: Debris and bank vault are all that remain of historic Chambersburg building

Photos: Big-time demolition underway in Chambersburg for courthouse project

Photos: Old Wogan's building demolished in Chambersburg

“As our population grows, so does our need for education, human services, and judicial services,” said Ross, the FCADC president, who included the Court Facility Improvement Project as one of the many recent development projects positively impacting the community.

Miller, the Downtown Business Council representative, said the project is "an incredible investment in the future of our downtown and will serve as a symbol of the county’s unwavering commitment to fairness and justice for everyone."

Christian, the leader of the Chambersburg chamber, commended the improvements the project will bring to county government and the court system, saying it will "enhance how governing entities serve the citizens of Franklin County for many years to come."

Wetzel, the state corrections secretary and former warden at Franklin County Jail, commended the commissioners for "having the guts to do the right thing."