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$1 million renovation project on tap for Lancaster County Courthouse
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/562309_-1-million-renovation-project-on-tap-for-Lancaster-County-Courthouse.html
Originally Published Jan 04, 2012 13:33
By P.J. REILLY
Staff Writer Lancaster
Another $1 million in renovations are coming to the Lancaster County Courthouse -- primarily to improve the facility's amenities for the disabled.
The work is part of the county's settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice regarding violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
The county commissioners on Wednesday hired East Coast Contracting of New Cumberland for $255,000, and Gooseworks Inc. of East Petersburg for $808,000, to do the work.
East Coast will be reducing the slope of several ramps in and around courtrooms 10, 11 and 12, since the existing slopes exceed ADA specifications.
In a project unrelated to the Department of Justice settlement, East Coast also as part of the contract will be repairing and sealing the exterior steps to the courthouse along East King Street.
Gooseworks Inc. will be installing a new fire alarm system, which will include both sirens and lights, throughout the courthouse complex.
"We have to have a fire alarm system that is both audible and visible," said Charlie Douts, the county's facilities management director.
Work is expected to begin immediately and be finished before the end of the year.
The county reached a settlement agreement last year with the Department of Justice as the result of a complaint filed with the department regarding the courthouse and various district court facilities.
David Kleinfelter, 65, of Mount Joy, filed the complaint in 2004 after he had difficulty maneuvering his wheelchair in the courthouse and in a district court in Mount Joy.
Kleinfelter is a veteran of the Vietnam War, having served as a U.S. Marine Corps sergeant. He uses a wheelchair because of complications from spinal injuries he suffered in combat in 1966.
After his complaint, federal officials inspected the county courthouse and all 20 district courts. After the inspections, the justice department and the county entered into settlement negotiations to avoid litigation.
Under the settlement, the county had to pay Kleinfelter $1,000 and make arrangements for people with disabilities to use ADA-accessible district courts whenever necessary. Not all the courts are ADA accessible.
Also, the county agreed by the end of 2012 to complete a list of improvements to the courthouse, including renovating the first-floor bathrooms, which is already underway.
Including the work approved Wednesday, the county will have spent about $1.2 million to meet the conditions of the Department of Justice settlement agreement.
All of the money for the work is coming from bond funds.
Also underway at the courthouse, but unrelated to the ADA improvements, is the replacement of the courthouse's main entrance off Duke Street to ***** the building's energy efficiency.
preilly@lnpnews.com
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/562309_-1-million-renovation-project-on-tap-for-Lancaster-County-Courthouse.html
Originally Published Jan 04, 2012 13:33
By P.J. REILLY
Staff Writer Lancaster
Another $1 million in renovations are coming to the Lancaster County Courthouse -- primarily to improve the facility's amenities for the disabled.
The work is part of the county's settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice regarding violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
The county commissioners on Wednesday hired East Coast Contracting of New Cumberland for $255,000, and Gooseworks Inc. of East Petersburg for $808,000, to do the work.
East Coast will be reducing the slope of several ramps in and around courtrooms 10, 11 and 12, since the existing slopes exceed ADA specifications.
In a project unrelated to the Department of Justice settlement, East Coast also as part of the contract will be repairing and sealing the exterior steps to the courthouse along East King Street.
Gooseworks Inc. will be installing a new fire alarm system, which will include both sirens and lights, throughout the courthouse complex.
"We have to have a fire alarm system that is both audible and visible," said Charlie Douts, the county's facilities management director.
Work is expected to begin immediately and be finished before the end of the year.
The county reached a settlement agreement last year with the Department of Justice as the result of a complaint filed with the department regarding the courthouse and various district court facilities.
David Kleinfelter, 65, of Mount Joy, filed the complaint in 2004 after he had difficulty maneuvering his wheelchair in the courthouse and in a district court in Mount Joy.
Kleinfelter is a veteran of the Vietnam War, having served as a U.S. Marine Corps sergeant. He uses a wheelchair because of complications from spinal injuries he suffered in combat in 1966.
After his complaint, federal officials inspected the county courthouse and all 20 district courts. After the inspections, the justice department and the county entered into settlement negotiations to avoid litigation.
Under the settlement, the county had to pay Kleinfelter $1,000 and make arrangements for people with disabilities to use ADA-accessible district courts whenever necessary. Not all the courts are ADA accessible.
Also, the county agreed by the end of 2012 to complete a list of improvements to the courthouse, including renovating the first-floor bathrooms, which is already underway.
Including the work approved Wednesday, the county will have spent about $1.2 million to meet the conditions of the Department of Justice settlement agreement.
All of the money for the work is coming from bond funds.
Also underway at the courthouse, but unrelated to the ADA improvements, is the replacement of the courthouse's main entrance off Duke Street to ***** the building's energy efficiency.
preilly@lnpnews.com