EXCLUSIVE: Inside Falls Twp.’s Rebuilt $40 Million Municipal Building

For decades, the Falls Township Municipal Complex was a labyrinthine patchwork of a building that seemed like it never quite knew what it wanted to be.

The old facility was originally an auto showroom and later a furniture store. It later became the township’s headquarters and housed other tenants.

Supervisor Chairperson Jeff Dence said the old municipal facility at 188 Lincoln Highway had become a “habitat trail” of confusing hallways, a leaking roof, and a failing HVAC system.

“It wasn’t built for Falls Township or police,” Dence said during a tour with LevittownNow.com. “You could never find your way back out.”

The new 60,000-square-foot complex is a stark departure from the old building.

The township departments have traded the cramped corridors of years past for open office spaces, large windows, community spaces, large township-centric murals and maps on the walls, and a design that tips its cap to the township’s industrial roots.

“Our town built on steel,” Dence said, noting the exposed steel design elements throughout the new facility. “You’ll notice the exposed steel for that reason, you know, there’s a lot of it in the new space.”

The township ran operations out of a leased space at 430-450 Lincoln Highway since Oct. 2023 until moving back to 188 Lincoln Highway in mid-February.

While the new facility used the original building’s footprint at 188 Lincoln Highway, Dence, who spent his career working in construction and renovations, noted that the project was a comprehensive reconstruction.

The final $40 million price tag, with some bills and change orders still coming in, climbed from the original $30 million estimate.

As crews peeled back the layers of the old building and dug into the ground, they discovered buried trash, oil contamination, and other problems that weren’t able to be found during the planning phase.

“We took this down to bare metal and concrete and we still had issues,” Dence said. “This is why I’m not a fan of renovations.”

The longtime supervisor explained that the project’s prime contractors stayed under $34 million. He said the costs for “everything else” – from renting temporary space, furniture, inflation, and the unforeseen site issues – pushed the total cost closer to $40 million.

The issues encountered during the project led to township and its contractors delaying opening.

Despite the cost overruns and delays, the result is a fresh hub for roughly 100 employees who serve the township of more than 35,000 residents, Dence stated.

“It doesn’t get cheaper, but look what you get,” Dence said. “It’s a beautiful, state-of-the-art building.”

“When I came in during construction, I was impressed by how well some of the finish work was,” he added. “There’s nothing they could have done that better.”

The police department has gained new equipment and a layout designed for modern law enforcement, while the public works department now enjoys an expanded garage.

The entire building is fully ADA-accessible, has energy-saving LED lighting, and is powered by a new backup generator system.

The meeting room for the supervisors and other government bodies has a fresh look, new equipment, and better acoustics.

For the community, the building is intended to be more than just a place to pay taxes or pull permits. It features multiple gathering spaces and meeting rooms available for public use.

“It’s a community place,” Dence said. “People can come here. They can have their meetings here. There are big rooms and there are some smaller spaces. Everything’s handicapped accessible. There are plenty of bathrooms.”

The building also has space that can be used for start-up businesses to rent. However, Dence said those details are still being worked out as the local government settles into the building.

As Dence showed off the building to this news organization last month, public safety and building officials met in one of the new offices, the parks and recreation director tapped away on his keyboard, and a cleaner mopped the sparkling new terrazzo floor.

Some minor “new building kinks” were still being ironed out as workers fine-tuned the HVAC systems and program door access.

This past Monday evening, the Falls Township Board of Supervisors held its first quorum in the new meeting room.

The homecoming was celebrated with a performance by the Men of Harmony choir, the group formerly known as the U.S. Steel Choir, and the Pennsbury High School Junior ROTC color guard.

Dence described the Men of Harmony as an appropriate tribute to the township’s industrial legacy.

Supervisor Vice Chairperson Erin Mullen praised the township staff for the work getting the building ready.

“This has been such a long time, everybody. Most people in this room know that. Countless people, companies, meetings, committees, and it’s just so nice,” Mullen said. “It feels so good to finally be in here … It’s wonderful.”

Mullen praised the public works department and other staff for handling the relocation without requiring the municipality hiring professional movers.

“This was just an upheaval for our staff that we handled excellently and I think we didn’t even have to provide higher professional movers because our staff handled everything,” she said.

A public open house is scheduled for Monday, March 9 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Township Manager John Shepherd said that refreshments will be provided during the open house.

“Hopefully everybody can get a chance to see the new building that we’re all very excited about,” Shepherd said.