Credit: Amanda Burg/LevittownNow.com
Falls Township officials intend to stay on schedule and work efficiently through the construction of a new municipal complex.
Township supervisors approved a resolution this month to formulate a project labor agreement between Falls and the Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council. The agreement works to ensure that the project stays on schedule without cost-overruns and delays, according to Township Attorney Lauren Gallagher.
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Board Chairman Bob Harvie noted that he has seen many projects cause an “immense amount of problems” with cost over-runs and delays. Harvie said the board wanted to be sure that would not happen in Falls.
The resolution comes amid final bid specification being prepared for the complex, which will include a new 55,174-square-foot building which will be built adjacent to the existing township building. The first phase includes the administration, police building and Public Works department. Once those buildings are constructed, the current municipal building would be demolished. Infrastructure, including parking lots and an improved stormwater management system, would be built at the demolition site.
A project advertisement, solicited bids, a contract award and construction is expected in the coming months. From there, construction, which will be carried out in several phases, and will commence over an estimated 18-month period, according to officials.
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The township has looked at constructing a new municipal headquarters for several years, citing many issues with the current building, which was never built to house the township and its departments. Officials have cited no main front entrance, problems with the building’s elevator, roof and atrium, and lack of space as main issues.
The project, which is expected to cost $18 million, will be funded through Falls’s long-term restricted savings account. The project would not financially impact Falls residents at all, according to officials.
