Centre County government on Tuesday took what one commissioner called a “big step” toward the future use of the former Centre Crest building in Bellefonte.
Commissioners unanimously approved a proposal from Muhlenberg Greene (MG) Architects to design final plans for the 84-year-old building for a lump sum fixed fee of $882,300. MG, which previously performed an adaptive reuse feasibility study and preliminary design for the building, also will handle construction contract administration when the project to convert the facility to mostly county government office space is ready to move forward.
“This is another big step in a project that will be absolutely important to really a generational investment into county government,” Board of Commissioners Chair Michael Pipe said. “And so we’re taking this step by step and being very mindful about our approach. This agreement with MG will really build on the work they’ve done with the preliminary design phase but will really get into the nuts and bolts.”
The 135,645 square-foot building has 118,569 square feet of usable space and about 80% of it is currently being eyed for county government offices, Pipe said, but some space potentially could be rented to agencies with which the county collaborates.
“That’s just a possibility at this point,” Pipe said. “We could always use that space for county government purposes.”
A preliminary study unveiled in September showed possible space for the county offices of aging, adult services, elections, coroner, children and youth services and mental health, intellectual disabilities, early intervention and drug and alcohol. It also identified a nearly 4,000-square-foot that could potentially be used by the Bellefonte Senior Center, which is now located on North Spring Street.
“It’s going to be quite a process,” Pipe said. “There’s a long runway we have but the focus right now is for county government space, relieving some of the pressure here at the Willowbank Building and at leased space around the county.”
The primary focus would be for departments that are “making do” but are at or near capacity in their current offices, which would in turn allow for more efficient use of space for offices that remain in the Willowbank Building. It would also provide “better coordination and layout of some of the offices, particularly among human services,” Pipe said.
“They’re quite spread out in different locations but having them under one roof, and sometimes one floor, would be really helpful for coordination and also service delivery as well would really see a beneficial impact,” he added.
The county also could realize cost-savings by moving offices that lease space under one, county-owned roof.
Over the coming months, county officials will evaluate borrowing capacity for work that will need to be done to complete the overhaul.
The current timeline is to let bids in early 2023 and finish construction and move-in by July 2024.
Centre County has owned the building since it was constructed in 1938 and operated the Centre Crest nursing facility there until 2013. That year, Centre Crest transitioned to a nonprofit board, which leased the building from the county for $1 a year.
The nursing home moved in March 2021 to the new, $45 million Centre Care Rehabilitation and Wellness Services facility in College Township, leaving the 502 E. Howard St. building empty.
“The original portion of the facility is quite old, and there have been additions/ renovations performed over the years,” Deputy County Administrator John Franek Jr. said in September. “Some items such as mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP) systems are dated and will need replacement. Internal finishes bare a resemblance to a medical facility, so an internal refresh would be needed depending on how the building may be used moving forward.”
