County parole and probation office relocation delayed

The Centre County board of commissioners announced on Tuesday that the relocation of the probation and parole offices to the newly renovated Temple Court Building has been delayed, pending a study to evaluate the county’s available office space.

In March, the county held an opening ceremony to showcase the renovations made to the 34,000-square-foot building, which was constructed in 1894. The $6.3 million project, which began in 2012, combined new construction with renovation and made available four floors of office space to be occupied by the District Attorney’s Office and the Probation and Parole Department.

But a structural engineering analysis conducted in the spring by Stahl Sheaffer Engineering, of State College, found the weight of the filing cabinets in the Probation and Parole Department created an issue with the county’s plan, according to Commissioner Mark Higgins.

“Stahl Sheaffer came back and said, if you’re going to put that amount of weight in the new construction area, we’re pretty sure that’s going to work,” Higgins said. “But if you’re going to put that weight anywhere in the older part of the structure, we’re not going to recommend it.”

In July, President Judge Thomas King Kistler penned a letter to the commissioners, requesting a utilization study to evaluate the most efficient use of the space.

Commissioner Michael Pipe said that after considering Kistler’s request, department head changes since the project was completed, the weight restrictions of the Temple Court Building and the additional staff needed to support the drug court program scheduled to begin this year, the county ordered the space utilization study.

On Aug. 15, architectural firm Weber Murphy Fox, of State College, will present the board with the scope and cost of the study. If the proposal is approved by the commissioners, WMF will conduct the study over an eight to 10 week period, according to county administrator Margaret Gray.

The plan to relocate the District Attorney’s Office to the Temple Court Building is moving forward and the office is expected to be completed prior to the new district attorney taking office in January, according to Pipe.

The county expects the space utilization study to be completed in the fall.

This story was originally published August 1, 2017 at 10:08 PM with the headline "County parole and probation office relocation delayed."