BELLEFONTE — As Centre County government continues to prepare to refurbish and reuse the old Centre Crest facility in Bellefonte, concerns continue to pop up at the site.
During the Sept. 5 Centre County Board of Commissioners meeting, the BOC approved a proposal with MG Architects Ltd. to utilize Penoco Inc. as a consultant for additional design services related to the Centre Crest facility. A hazardous material survey will be performed of the entire facility, including the collection and testing of 60 samples.
The contract, which was approved unanimously, is for $10,955.
“As you remember back in (1994), most hazardous materials were removed from the building as part of a renovation project in that time frame,” explained county administrator John Franek.
But, as Franek pointed out, more work may need to be done at the site.
“As part of our ongoing survey work throughout the building in preparation for the renovation project to create a new human services facility … one of those surveys, we took a look inside the plenum spaces above the ceiling — in pipe chases and things of that nature. (We) think there may be some remaining material there that may need to be abated out of the building,” Franek said.
With that in mind, the survey is a necessary part of the re-development. According to Franek, Penoco will take samples and test them “to see if there is any hazardous material that needs to be taken out.”
Franek said the building is undergoing a near “wholesale gut,” which means every nook and cranny needs to be explored for safety’s sake.
“It isn’t that big of a lift if we do find something,” Franek said. “But we want to make sure to identify anything that needs to be handled properly.”
BOC Chair Mark Higgins said that the expense was more than necessary.
“It’s a good idea since we are about to gut the building,” Higgins said. “It’s not occupied at the moment, so let’s just check it again for hazardous materials.”
Commissioner Amber Concepcion agreed.
“Anytime you’re working in a building (of) this age … taking care of all the steps needed in terms of asbestos abatement at the time of a project is just a critical step,” Concepcion said.
The county plans to overhaul the 118,000-square-foot, 85-year-old former nursing home building — which was vacated when the $45 million Centre Care facility opened in 2021 in College Township — to bring multiple county departments under one roof. The plan will free up crowded space in the Willowbank Building and move some departments out of scattered leased offices.
Last year, commissioners authorized the issuance of $40 million in general obligation bonds for capital projects, from which about $30 million will fund the Centre Crest renovation. While the full project has not yet been bid, the commissioners in August approved a $1.4 million contract for replacement of the roof and associated work.
The Centre County BOC will meet again at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at the Willowbank Building. The meeting is open to the public and will be televised live by C-NET.
