NORRISTOWN >> An estimated $281 million county campus redevelopment project over a decade in the making is moving forward.
Six individual construction projects in downtown Norristown scheduled to be completed by 2025 are in the works to address service, operational and energy inefficiencies, safety risks, inadequate office and parking space and to modernize county buildings for the future.
The project, one of the largest ever undertaken by Montgomery County, also looks to help stir up development in Norristown, officials said.
The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners awarded two contracts related to the project at Thursday’s meeting.
The first was a $16.1 million contract to Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, of Washington D.C., to provide the architectural and engineering services for the design of a new justice center and the expansion of Hancock Square.
The second was a $5.1 million contract to Skanska USA Building, of Blue Bell, to provide the construction management services for the project.
Tom Bonner, capital projects program director, led a presentation over viewing the entire plan, which aims to fix inefficient court and county administration operations.
“The entire purpose of the project is to look in a very detailed way at county operations, at court operations down to circulation of populations that move through the court house,” he said, “to make sure that we are building and renovating our facilities to adequately accommodate those needs as we move forward.”
Six projects are included in the redevelopment plan that will run over the course of eight years.
The first- a $3 million One Montgomery Plaza new security entrance for staff and visitors, is currently underway and is scheduled to be completed in August. The second project, a $25 million replacement of the facade at One Montgomery Plaza, is set to begin this fall and be completed in the winter of 2019, according to the county. Bonner said the exterior of the building is in danger of falling off and scaffolding is currently holding it together.
The next three projects revolve around a new $220 million justice center.
The first is a new justice center facility, which promises to help consolidate Montgomery County justice related services in downtown Norristown and will assimilate with the county’s existing court facilities. It includes a provision for additional parking. Construction is estimated to begin in the spring of 2019 and end in the summer of 2021, according to the county.
At the same time, the next project focuses on renovating and expanding Hancock Square.
“Hancock Square park is inhospitable and an under utilized public space,” Bonner said, “hampering retail and residential development.”
The park will be reconfigured and expanded as a public destination for Norristown and the county and promises to compliment Norristown’s own retail redevelopment efforts along Main Street. Construction is estimated to begin in the spring of 2019 and be completed in the spring of 2021, according to the county.
The third phase of the justice center project will renovate the existing courthouse. Court functions will be relocated out of the existing buildings enabling a complete interior renovation towards improving circulatory efficiency, building systems and security. Construction is estimated to begin in the fall of 2021 and be completed in the summer of 2023, according to the county.
The sixth and final project will be a $33 million interior renovation of One Montgomery Plaza. County staff working in One Montgomery Plaza will be temporarily relocated to allow a complete renovation and systems upgrade of the interior of the building. Construction is scheduled to begin the fall of 2023 and be completed in the spring of 2025.
Bonner reiterated that the redevelopment plan is one of the biggest ever undertaken by the county.
“And we can’t shut down,” he said.
Commissioners’ Chairwoman Val Arkoosh commended Bonner’s attention to detail and for staying within budget. The board will be keeping a close eye on the project as it progresses.
Commissioner Ken Lawrence asked how the project compared to similar efforts in Bucks and Chester counties. Bonner said the county project would be “more comprehensive” but the team learned lessons in scheduling from those two projects.
Commissioner Joe Gale asked Bonner to explain how the county was paying for this project. Bonner said it’s being funded within the capital campaign budget for board approval.
