Politics & Government

District Court Project to Cost More, Take Longer

The cost of outfitting Judge Paul Leo's Hatboro district court has grown by more than $30,000 via change orders.

It's going to cost Hatboro and Montgomery County more money and additional weeks of work for contractors to outfit District Judge Paul Leo's new space.

Following the borough council's approval Monday night of six change orders for the project, totaling $30,307–more than 10 percent of the project cost accepted in the bid–readying the space at Victorian Village will now cost an estimated $324,975, up from the $292,200 contracted amount. 

The nearly $325,000 price tag also includes the first change order in the amount of $2,468, approved during last month's council meeting. 

Work is also expected to take a few more weeks, according to Borough Manager Fred Zollers, who said the anticipated completion date is Nov. 5 instead of Oct. 15. Zollers said Leo's court would relocate from the second-floor space in borough hall to next door soon after the new space is finished. 

"There are no current plans for the space currently occupied by the district court," Zollers told Patch. 

The additional fees in the half dozen change orders cover everything from a sprinkler system addition, to vents and wiring, ceiling and drywall work and electrical changes. 

The governing body rejected a $12,000 add-on that the county had requested for an archive closet, as well as a $440 expense to add a ledger and asked for more detail on a third change order. 

For the sprinkler work, which at $22,725 is the bulk of the new costs, borough attorney Christen Pionzio recommended that the council "authorize the work to be done subject to who pays for it." 

She said borough officials and the county have had "a lot of round robin going on" to determine which party is responsible for work not originally in the bid. The sprinkler is one of those items, Pionzio said. 

"They’re saying it wasn’t in the specs and they didn’t bid it," Pionzio said. 

But, ultimately, installing a sprinkler system, for instance, is required, she said. The final costs will not be Hatboro's sole responsibility, she said. 

"All of these expenses are wrapped up in the final bill," Pionzio said, adding that the county "will pay it back in the rental payments. It’s not like we’re just dipping in our pockets."

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Council President John Zygmont said previously that the county pays Hatboro $57,000 per year to lease Leo's existing space. Under a 10-year contract set to begin this fall, he said Hatboro would earn $70,000 per year in lease fees, meaning, at contract's end, the borough would recoup $130,000 of its out-of-pocket construction costs.

Hatboro would be responsible for the first $150,000 to outfit the space and the remainder would be split between Hatboro and the county, he had said.

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


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