With construction expected to begin within weeks, the Bucks County Commissioners voted Monday to spend about $20 million on the first-wave of construction contracts for the new Lower Bucks County Government Services Center.
The roughly $25 million project is taking place at the county-owned property along New Falls Road in Bristol Township’s Levittown section.
The project will replace the current 8,600-square-foot annex, which has been in use for 30 years and is considered inadequate. The new 39,000-square-foot, two-story building will consolidate operations for 13 county departments currently spread across various Lower Bucks County locations, some of which are leased offices.
The commissioners – two Democrats and one Republican – voted to approve the contracts on Wednesday, which comes after years of planning. Last year, the project received approval from the commissioners and Bristol Township Council.
Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
The commissioners approved a $874,750 contract with Integrity Mechanical Inc., of Plumsteadville, for plumbing. They also approved a $1.8 million contract for fire protection with Montgomery County-based Oliver Fire Protection and Security, a $4.1 million contract with Levittown-based QPI Electrical Company, and a $12.6 million general construction deal with Rycon Construction Inc., of Philadelphia.
“A lot of time and effort went to getting to this point of getting these contractors and the bids out,” Bucks County COO Margie McKevitt said.
George Hutt, the county’s director of operations, said the building will be “state of the art” and consolidate county operations in the lower end to one spot. Currently, the county has to lease some office space.
“The building itself will be pretty incredible. We’re looking forward to getting it started and getting it open for the people of Bucks County,” Hutt said.
Commissioner Bob Harvie said the building is much needed in Lower Bucks County.
David McHenry, a principal at Erdy McHenry Architecture and local resident, said last year that the new facility won’t just be designed to be accessible and spacious, but it will have odes to William Levitt’s design style and the use of visible steel, an reference to the U.S. Steel plant in Falls Township.
In addition to modern and efficient office spaces, the center will accommodate the Adult Probation and Parole, Board of Elections, Children and Youth Social Services Agency, Consumer Protection/Weights & Measures, District Attorney’s Office, Domestic Relations, Health Department, Juvenile Probation, Prothonotary, Register of Wills, Sheriff’s Office, Veterans’ Affairs, and Workforce and Economic Development departments.
The project will also see the demolition of the existing annex, though other buildings on the site will remain intact, including the Bucks County District Attorney’s warehouse. The county plans to sell a former bank building currently utilized by the Bucks County Adult Probation and Parole Department’s field office.
The county plans to build a small solar farm next to the facility in a bid to add renewable energy.
The site’s history is that it was a former location for ammunition and rocket engine production by Morton Thiokol. The land has been owned by the county for decades.
