Construction is set to commence on the new Lower Bucks County Government Services Center in Bristol Township’s Levittown section.
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The $25 million project on the county-owned property along New Falls Road by Five Points will replace the current 8,600-square-foot annex, which has served resident for 30 years but has been deemed inadequate.
The new 39,000-square-foot, two-story building will consolidate operations for 13 county departments, which are presently spread across various locations in Lower Bucks County and some of which operate out of leased offices.
Preparation for construction began last week as crews installed a construction fence around the site and did water line work.
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Bucks County spokesperson James O’Malley said late last week that crews were awaiting a final notice to proceed from township officials.
The Bucks County Commissioners – two Democrats and one Republican – previously approved the project and ceremoniously broke ground.
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George Hutt, the county’s director of operations, described the upcoming facility last year as “state of the art.” He said it would help in centralizing operations in the lower part of the county.
David McHenry, a principal at Erdy McHenry Architecture and a local resident, has highlighted that the design of the new facility will include nods to William Levitt’s iconic architectural style. Additionally, the building will feature visible steel elements, a tribute to the nearby U.S. Steel plant in Falls Township.
The center will house a variety of county departments, including Adult Probation and Parole, the Board of Elections, the Children and Youth Social Services Agency, Consumer Protection/Weights and Measures, the District Attorney’s Office, Domestic Relations, the Health Department, Juvenile Probation, the Prothonotary, the Register of Wills, the Sheriff’s Office, Veterans’ Affairs, and Workforce and Economic Development.
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The project also entails the demolition of the existing annex, but other structures on the site, like the Bucks County District Attorney’s warehouse, will remain.
The county plans to sell a former bank building currently used by the Bucks County Adult Probation and Parole Department’s field office.
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In a move towards sustainability, the county also plans to build a small solar farm next to the new facility.
Many years ago, the site had previously been used for ammunition and rocket engine production by Morton Thiokol. The land has been under county ownership for several decades.
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