Office of Public Information
Phone: 610-782-3001
Fax: 610-820-3615
Donald T.
Cunningham, Jr.,
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE: CONTACT:
August 10, 2006 Frank Kane
(610) 782-3304
“After almost a year of crunching numbers and the recent value-engineering study of the courthouse project, we have developed a fiscally responsible plan to fix what’s broken and provide safe, secure and appropriate space for our courts and court-related functions at greatly reduced cost to Lehigh County’s taxpayers,” Cunningham said at a news conference in the Lehigh County Government Center Monday afternoon.
The original plan to renovate and expand
the Lehigh County Courthouse would have cost
The Cunningham Administration’s compromise plan retains the idea of adding an expansion rather than creating an off-site annex, but dramatically cuts back on amenities that are not necessary to the core government functions of the courthouse, saving $35 million in the process.
“This plan provides for a safe, secure Courthouse that doesn’t leak and creates new space to support the growth needs of the Judiciary and related offices,” Cunningham said. “What it eliminates are features that might be nice to have but are not necessary.”
Under Cunningham’s plan, the new addition will cut the number of bathrooms for judges in half, cut the size of courtrooms from 17 feet to 12 feet, and cut the number of floors for the expansion in half from eight to four. The building’s exterior will be clad with prefabricated panels, rather than custom-made panels built on-site. Also, the top floor of the expansion will create additional space that can be used to meet the County’s projected needs through 2013.
The
actual project cost of the expansion and renovation under Cunningham’s plan is
$58.1 million, or $22.5 million in hard construction cost savings. Factoring in the cost of borrowing the money,
The
administration plans to ask the Lehigh County Board of
# # #