MERCER COUNTY COURTHOUSE Officials: Snags hit costs for renovation

In some locations, live wires ran next to water pipes.
BY MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
MERCER, Pa. -- Unexpected problems discovered during renovation of the courthouse drove the cost of renovation up significantly, Mercer County commissioners said.
A Feb. 5 architect's report listed courthouse renovation costs at $12.1 million, instead of the $10 million originally anticipated. But commissioners defended the increases Thursday, saying nobody knew until construction began what was inside the courthouse walls.
Commissioner Olivia Lazor said that extensive plumbing work was not anticipated until the condition of the plumbing was exposed. In some locations, she said, live wires were running next to water pipes. In the men's first-floor restroom, the situation was so bad that & quot;someone could have turned on the water and got electrocuted & quot; she said.
Knowing now how bad the electrical system was, Lazor said, & quot;I'm grateful we didn't lose the building to a fire. & quot;
Other problems
In addition, Lazor said workers discovered that work done to the courthouse exterior from 1988-90 had damaged the sandstone face, requiring $250,000 in extra work. Former Commissioner Gene Brenneman, who attended Thursday's meeting, said the south portico of the courthouse was also discovered to be shifting away from the building and needed to be repaired before it fell. Painting needs also turned out to be more extensive than anticipated.
& quot;I've taken a lot of hits for this cost, but it will be here for another hundred years. I thank the taxpayers of the county who paid for it, & quot; Lazor said.
The original plan called for a $34 million bond issue to cover $10 million for courthouse renovation and $18 million for construction of a new jail, as well as a $3.1 million carry-over debt from an old bond issue.
Expenses arose
But several pressing expenses arose which were also taken out of the bond issue and jail costs are also running higher than expected.
The $400,000 price for the new fourth courtroom, just opened this year, was not anticipated. Then relocation of two district justice offices was expected to cost $300,000 but ended up costing nearly double.
The bond issue was also used to buy a new county electronic voting system. Brenneman said that the state will reimburse the county $900,000 for the system, but there's no way of telling when the money will arrive.
Lazor said the money will come "as long as the state doesn't rescind its promise."
In addition, any money gained from sale of the former district justice offices will be put back into the bond issue.
While bids for the new jail came in at just under $18 million, architect's and other fees are expected to drive that up to $20 million. Any changes needed in the project will drive the total up higher and costs will not be known until completion later this year.