Bucks County Justice Center Preparing For Opening

Bucks County is preparing to unveil its new justice center in Doylestown.

The 285,000-square-foot building in the heart of Doylestown will hold a grand opening on Saturday and public tours on Sunday.

The new Bucks County Justice Center, which is between the recently-built county parking garage and current courthouse and administrative offices, is nearing completion roughly four years after county commissioners approved its construction. County spokesman Chris Edwards said the cost of the building is between $85 and $90 million.

The new building, which officials have said is “state of the art,”  will house 520 county workers and thousands upon thousands of visitors who have to do business with the close to one dozen departments that will move from the current courthouse to the new justice center.

With the justice center opening for business in just a few weeks, workers in the current courthouse are preparing for the move by putting confidential files in locked boxes that can only be moved by county staff. Officials have said furniture and other items will be moved to the new courthouse by a moving company that has been hired.

Despite disagreements between the commissioners on certain aspects of the project, the building is preparing to open without any major issues. One of the major disagreements involved construction of the fifth floor. Commissioners Charlie Martin and Diane Marseglia in 2013 voted to hold off on building two courtrooms and several other rooms to save more than $250,000 on the project. Marseglia, a Democrat from Levittown, raised concerns about dozens of change orders throughout the construction process, however, her disapproval was usually ignored by the the Republican majority of Martin and Chairman Rob Loughery.

The new building was a little more than a year behind schedule because of several roadblocks the project faced early on. A land dispute with a property owner and complications incorporating the facade of the more-than-100-year-old Doylestown Armory pushed back the start date.

During tours for the media, county officials called the building “state of the art” and mentioned many of its high-tech features Friday. Some of the high-tech features include televisions that display what is happening the building and a variety of multimedia tools in each courtroom. Tools that are currently not in every courtroom in the current courthouse, which was built more than 50 years ago. The building will also feature WiFi service throughout.

Security is a key part of the new structure. Some high-ranking county officials will be able to use a 21-spot indoor parking lot. The building will feature about 300 cameras and multiple secure entry points in a lobby that features radiant heating.  The Justice Center will also feature separate elevators and hallways for transporting prisoners, 20 holding cells,  a sally port for the sheriff’s department, mesh in the ceilings of the holding cells and better fire safety equipment.

Bucks County Director of Operations Jerry Anderson has said the building is a “100-year facility” and has room for expansion, citing the unfinished space on the fifth floor.

Offices will have motion controlled lights that the county expects will save on energy costs. Anderson told reporters in 2013 that geothermal heating and cooling was not feasible for the site.

In recent weeks, construction crews have finished up work on a covering that will lead from the parking lots and garage to the Main Street entrance. Commissioner Charley Martin said handicap parking close to the building should benefit those who need it.

County leaders have proudly showed off a portion of the 1909 Doylestown Armory complex that was saved during construction. The armory’s grand fireplace will sit in a cafeteria.

Bucks County’s own Mercer tiles, designed to represent each community in the county, adorn the new building.

 If you go

A grand opening ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday outside the new building.

The public is invited to tour the new justice center Sunday between noon and 3 p.m.

Related:

• New Bucks County Justice Center Moving Closer to Finish Line
• County Drops $639K on Chairs for Courthouse
• New $86.5 Million Courthouse Project Moving Along