Bids for various aspects of construction at the new coroner’s building were opened at the Lycoming County commissioners’ meeting this week.

The building, which the county purchased last year from the Pennsylvania College of Technology, is on a 2-acre parcel located at 3341 Wahoo Drive. The 8,000-square-foot building is being remodeled and expanded to accommodate the coroner’s facility.

The following bids were received for the area of construction listed:

• Mechanical — Air Management Technologies, $1,165,300, and Dixon AC&R Corp., $903,366

• Electrical — G.R. Noto Electrical, $823,600; Hayden Power Group, $1,064,500; and Williamsport Electric Inc., $769,800

• Plumbing — Silvertip Inc., $498,000

• Fire protection — Triangle Fire Protection Inc., $188,850, and ICON Fire Solutions, $148,000

• General — Keystruct Construction, $3,574,820.40; Lundy Construction, $3,803,026.74; Multiscape, $4,328,734; and RAYNOR Inc., $65,920.

The bids will now be examined by the project teams and the county’s financial management department to see if they meet the specifications. Then, a decision will be made about which to accept or reject.

In his closing remarks, Commissioner Scott Metzger said the coroner’s facility is just one of the numerous building projects the county has

undertaken over the past few years.

“We’re elected to make improvements and not stay the status quo for four years but make county government better and we’ve done so over the last several years,” Metzger said.

Metzger pointed out that for many years locations had been sought for the coroner’s facility and District Justice William C. Solomon’s offices.

“(We) toured many places and couldn’t find a home. Eventually we found one for both of them. Judge Solomon’s building has been completed and it’s a state-of-the-art courtroom and building that is a model for the state,” Metzger said.

He went on to say that an important part of any of the construction projects was the involvement of the departments involved and that a “teamwork approach” was used for decisions.

The buildout on the third floor of the Courthouse for the Sheriff’s Department continues, he said.

“For years we didn’t have an updated facility. We’ve renovated the third floor and have that half-completed,” Metzger said.

Other projects highlighted by the commissioner included the sale of Executive Plaza and the move of five county departments to the third floor of Third Street Plaza (TSP).

“I think anyone who works on this floor would agree that it was a wise move — a good move for county government, especially for our customers,” he said.

The move of the Joinder Board services to the fourth floor of TSP, resulting in a savings of rent payments at their former location. That money will now help to pay down the bond on TSP.

The purchase of land in Jersey Shore for a new office for Magisterial District Judge Denise Dieter was also cited by Metzger.

“Judge Dieter has been very involved with the plans for it. The architectural plans are being established at this time and we hope to have her in a new home within two years,” Metzger said.

The commissioners recently set up a committee to explore how to better use the County Farm, which Metzger said hadn’t been looked at for many years.

“We believe that there’s always room for improvement in anything that you do. Talking to the county farmer and committee moving forward, how can we best utilize the County Farm to make it a showcase throughout the state,” he said.

Then there is the Register and Recorder’s Office, which the commissioners would like to move to the first floor of TSP so that it would be housed in the same building as other county offices.

The director of that office, David Huffman, has expressed to the commissioners over the last four years that he is in need of space, Metzger said.

“This would provide him 1,000 more square feet of room. It would be all on one floor. His customers will not have to go through the security measures at the Courthouse,” Metzger said.

By moving the Register and Recorder’s Office that would open up that first floor space for the Adult Probation Office (APO). That way their clients could go through the metal detectors and go straight to see their officers.

This in turn would free up part of the third floor vacated by APO for the Sheriff’s Department to add holding cells in that space, Metzger said.

He noted that when the Courthouse was built there were two courtrooms and now there are five judges and two family court judges with seven courtrooms going.

“You cannot stick this many defendants into two holding cells, especially when you have a female,” Metzger said.

Throughout his list of the many projects that have been completed or are still in the planning and exploratory stages, Metzger stressed that the departments affected by the projects have been involved in the decision-making.

“All these projects have been received with open arms. The staff has all been involved in this — department heads, elected officials…it’s been a team approach and we look forward as we continue that, that continues,” he said.

“Unfortunately the Register and Recorder has taken a different approach and feels that it’s not necessary for his move to take place. We’ve asked him to come to the table several times to work with us. We want him to be directly involved with us. This is his office. This will be his office long after we’re gone from these positions — it’s a position that’s very important to the county. They work hard in that department,” he said.

“We want to make sure all the efficiencies are there for him and his staff and we need to have everybody be a part of that team. So we would encourage him to come to the table and work with us going forward,” he added.

Fellow Commissioner Marc Sortman echoed Metzger.

“The three of us made a commitment to county taxpayers to make things more efficient. We’re on that path,” Sortman said.

“The three of us also made commitments to county employees that we would not be the top-down type mentality. Obviously, at the end of the day, we have to make final decisions that may or may not be liked, but they have got to be made. But, we’re listening to the input,” Sortman said.

When contacted by the Sun-Gazette, Huffman issued a statement in response to the commissioners’ comments.

“My only comment would be that I have been trying to get a meeting to discuss the issue for weeks now and my request has been denied. That’s all I have to say. So, it’s news to me that I’m not cooperating,” Hoffman said.

Under regular business, the commissioners approved the following: agreements with Clear Vision Residential Services Inc., Hempfield Behavioral Health Inc. and Alternative Living Solutions for the Juvenile Probation Office; a first amendment to the Appalachian RegionCommission (ARC) grant agreement with the Williamsport Sewer Authority for a pass through grant for the Industrial Corridor utility project; a grant award for the state’s commission of crime and delinquency (PCCD) Indigent Defense Services in the amount of $97,192; a medical assistance transportation grant agreement and assurance of compliance with the Department of Human Services; and $13,844 for five tasers from Axon Enterprise Inc. for the deputies who will serve in the District Magisterial Judges’ office.

Under personnel, the commissioners agreed to hire the following personnel at the rates of pay listed: Christina Aumick, Licensed Practical Nurse at the prison, full-time at $30 per hour; Dustin Springer truck driver/floater at Resource Management, $19.63 per hour; and David Hubbard, zoning administrator in Planning and Community Development, $29.40 per hour.

The next commissioners’ meeting will be at 10 a.m. Aug. 8 at the Commissioners’ Board Room, 3rd floor TSP, 33 W. Third St.