Politics & Government

$3 Million Funding, Facilities Upgrade Timeline Under Consideration

With an eye to fixing instead of building anew, the Hatboro Borough Council will begin the process of developing a timeline–and finding money–to fund improvements to aging borough-owned facilities. 

The council on Monday set July 15 at 5:30 p.m. as the next time elected officials would review potential fixes for several outdated and cramped buildings, including the police station, public works and the municipal building.

Council President John Zygmont told Patch that the governing body would "get a feel for where council stands" on the various components recommended in February as part of a $2.7 million "adaptive reuse" plan. 

Find out what's happening in Hatboro-Horshamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

That plan, as outlined by Thomas J. Comitta, president of West Chester-based town planners and landscape architect firm Thomas Comitta Associates Inc. four months ago, calls for the renovation and, in some cases, expansion of facilities, including building extra public works space at Eaton Park. Click here to read the previous article highlighting all of Comitta's suggestions, including the $1.1 million estimated to upgrade the 50-year-old police station.

If the police station were to be demolished and rebuilt, Comitta told Patch previously that it would cost a "daunting" $3 million to $5 million. And, most likely, officials would be faced with similar space constraints.

Find out what's happening in Hatboro-Horshamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Zygmont said on Monday that during the July 15 meeting, the council would devise a timeline for "moving forward," as well as a way to fund the projects. 

The $2.7 million cost for the work that Comitta had suggested following the roughly $20,000 facilities study Hatboro hired him to conduct in 2012 is based on 2013 construction values. That amount should be adjusted by 2 percent each year for inflation, Comitta had said. 


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