Bucks County Unveils Site Plans and Renderings For New Justice Center
Before a packed community room in the Bucks County Courthouse yesterday, county Director of Operations Jerry Anderson provided a first glimpse of the Justice Center that soon will rise in Doylestown Borough. Joining staff and members of the public for the presentation of multiple architectural renderings and a three-dimensional model of the project were Commissioners Charles H. Martin, chairman, James F. Cawley, Esq. and Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia, LCSW, Acting Chief Operating Officer Brian Hessenthaler, Acting Chief Clerk Lynn T. Bush, President Judge Susan Devlin Scott, District Attorney David Heckler and other row officers who will have offices in the new, eight-level facility.
“This will be the largest public works project in county history,” Commissioner Cawley noted, adding that the projected $100 million cost is not an expenditure he wants to make, but rather one that is a “project we have to do” to create court and public safety space and to provide a high quality of service to Bucks County residents. Judge Scott underscored Cawley’s point by commending the commissioners’ board for its ongoing dedication to advancing the Justice Center planning.
The meeting also was conducted under a veil of sadness, as Chairman Martin opened by sharing the news that former county Solicitor Guy T. Matthews had passed away the previous evening. The chairman lauded Mr. Matthews, who was named the first full-time solicitor in county annals during January, 2006, as a “valued member of the Bucks County family.” Mr. Matthews resigned as full-time solicitor during March, 2008, and continued to serve the county as an assistant solicitor.
Mr. Anderson’s presentation was part of a commissioners meeting agenda that also included the approval of 41 contracts involving 18 county departments. Among them was a $773,882 contract with Langhorne’s Armour & Sons Electric, Inc. to provide vehicular improvements that will help facilitate the construction process for the Justice Center. This will include new traffic signals and lane patterns along Broad St. between Rte. 611 and the current county courthouse.
Chairman Martin traced the history of the Justice Center project back to a “space study” of 2001, when Barry McAndrews was the president judge and Martin was joined on the commissioners’ board by Michael G. Fitzpatrick and Sandra A. Miller. “I am the only one left standing,” Chairman Martin commented.
Highlights of the Justice Center review included visual aids that illustrated the:
- Site plan: The new building will be connected to Main St. by a pedestrian plaza, with a covered walkway leading from the new parking garage to the Justice Center
- Stacking diagram: The Justice Center will be “built from the inside out” to house four floors of offices and support spaces below three floors of courtrooms (13 overall) and the judges’ chambers on the top level. In addition, one floor of the building will be “shell space” for future expansion of the courts
- Ground floor plan: The building will have one point of entry for staff and visitors with ample room for security screening to occur in front of the public corridor and elevators
- Courts floor plan: The upper floors will contain three courtrooms in each wing of the building and separate circulation for the public, prisoners and judges/jurors/court staff. Each group will also have its owns elevators (nine elevators total) to enhance the security and functionality of the courts system in Bucks County. Mr. Anderson pointed to this separate circulation as an enormous improvement from the current Courthouse, where populations are commingled
- View from plaza: The building will feature a two-story lobby at the entry plaza facing Main St. It will have two angled wings with large bay windows that contain seating areas along the public hallways
- View from parking: Like many traditional building, it will have a base, middle and top. Pending further discussion with Doylestown Borough officials, it will have stone at the base, brick on the lower floors and Terra Cotta panels above, with a roof overhanging the sixth floor
- View from Shewell Avenue: The lower floors of the building are designed to form a brick podium that will extend to Shewell Ave. to tie in with the existing Armory building façade
- Expansion potential: The “shell” floor allows for the expansion of six additional courtrooms. This floor is located one floor below the judges’ chambers and courtrooms can be added as growth requires
According to Mr. Anderson, the new 1,200-space parking garage is “on schedule and on budget” for a June, 2010 ribbon cutting. At that time, the current parking garage will be demolished over a three-month span. Completion of the Justice Center will involve a “two-and-a-half to three-year build-out.” The commissioners have scheduled a public forum for input and comment about the Justice Center project for Thursday, Feb. 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Central Bucks West High School Auditorium (375 W. Court St., Doylestown, PA 18901). See www.BucksCounty.org for the series of renderings presented at yesterday’s meeting.
During the meeting, the commissioners issued a set of commendations to the county Health Department, the county Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), the county Major Incident Response Team (M.I.R.T.) and the county Emergency Management Agency (EMA) for their role in the recent H1N1 response throughout the county. Since November, those agencies have collaborated to issue more than 67,000 vaccines.
“It’s all about teamwork,” stated the county Health Director, Dr. David Damsker. “You can’t do anything, without everyone working together. We had the training, technology and capability to handle this.” Added Bristol Twp. Police John Godzieba, coordinator of the 125-officer M.I.R.T. team: “The level of domestic preparedness in Bucks County is outstanding. County residents should be proud of that.”
The approved business agenda items included a 65.33-acre agricultural conservation easement on the Kramer farm, which is located in Haycock and Springfield townships. The 136th farm the county has preserved since 1989 (for a total of 11,572 acres), it consists of 30 acres of cropland and a timber farm. According to county Agricultural Preservation Director Rich Harvey, it is the first farm preserved by the county that involves timber and forest management. Mr. Harvey noted that his “very popular” program currently has a waiting list of 63 farms.
For a full audio account of the meeting and a copy of the business agenda, please visit www.BucksCounty.org. The next meeting of the commissioners will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, February 3 in the Bucks County Courthouse, Doylestown.
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Add comment February 3rd, 2010