Lansdale Municipal Complex Renovation Will be 'Very Deliberate' Process

Now that Lansdale Borough Council has given direction to Spiezle Architects to draft two sketch plan options for the renovation of the municipal complex, Borough Manager Timi Kirchner told the town hall meeting attendees Tuesday night that the process will be "very deliberate" in comparing costs for its demolition, renovation and preservation.

Kirchner said that within the two options council can see the comparable costs and benefits of doing the project one way or another.

Preservation would be focused on mainly the three facades of borough hall, not includig the front entrance facade.

However, those walls of borough hall have been deemed in deteriorating condition, victim of the banes of the weather that has resulted in cracked foundations, crumbling masonry, warped joints, fading paint and rotting wood.

"The three walls have been part of the problem," said resident and Democratic borough council candidate Bob Willi. "If the three walls are the problem now, won't they give you problems down the road?"

Kirchner said that's part of the issue—old things have their problems.

"That's all that will go into the cost, and look at preserving it and get it to the point where it is not creating problems," she said.

Willi said he likes the way borough hall looks now, but if council should decide to rebuild it, the building should be more spacious with the same historic look. Kirchner said all those options would be brought forth in the process.

"The historic nature of the building is important," Kirchner said. "The building is severely limited in its ability to provide services."

Kirchner said, for instance, there is no privacy at the electric billing window near the reception desk; everybody can hear the personal matters of residents, which makes for tough business.

"We can't do anything about it right now," she said. "It's tough when you see people sitting in chairs, waiting to talk to the codes department and they have drawings and no place to talk. They have to talk about personal information out in the lobby."

Kirchner said it's not just a square footage issue with borough hall, but also in how it was designed. 

"There's a lot of wasted space," she said.

Community Development Director John Ernst said it was important to remember that the municipal complex project is not just borough hall, but also the police station.

Ernst said there are many safety issues to consider with the police station for the officers and staff using it, for those brought in for processing by police and for the general public.

Ernst said many other municipalities—Towamencin, Horsham, Montgomery Township—have combined administrative and public safety services in one construction.

Councilwoman Mary Fuller, who co-moderates the quarterly town hall sessions, emphasized that whatever happens with the project will only take place in their current locations.

"I think it's overdue for a lot of reasons," Fuller said of the project. "I think you'd be hard-pressed to get nine of us (on council) to be against saving historical integrity."

Resident Nancy Frei said that if council had to knock down borough hall, then it should build something comparable in aesthetics.

"Don't make this monstrosity when you want it to be modern," Frei said. "Retrofit it and it can be feasible to what you want it to be."

311 W. Main and 1 Vine St.

Willi then compared the revitalization of the municipal complex to the renovation of 311 W. Main St., describing the latter as something that will "help Main Street, help the community, help everybody."

Fuller didn't understand the passionate priority for the preservation of borough hall moreo than the preservation of 311 W. Main St. The former is a former post office and the latter is a former Masonic temple.

"People get upset at the prospect of kncoking down borough hall, but not a lot are upset at knocking down the Masonic temple. What's the difference there?" she said, rhetorically. "Why is it OK to knock down 311 W. Main, but not borough hall?"

"Just make it look like borough hall, is all," said Frei.

Kirchner touched on the current progress of 311 W. Main St., as both renovations could be occurring simultaneously. She said Spiezle Architects and consultant Laura Burnham, who was executive director of Abington Art Center for a quarter century, will work together on a business plan that shows how 311 W. Main will be successful.

"The consultant has as her responsibility working with the architect on what space should be there, and it was recommended it should be used all day long, every day," Kirchner said.

Willi believed the consultant, architect and borough should avoid repeating mistakes of the past.

"There should be steps to make sure what happened last time doesn't happen this time," Willi said. 

Fuller said that real estate wise, 311 W. Main will never recoup money, but the borough has to look at what it does for the downtown.

Ernst summarized that while the municipal complex and 311 W. Main renovations are parts of a government process in action, they are also parts of a public process.

"I don't see it as a government process. You have to make sure the public understands the process," he said, "buys into it, and has the opportunity to take part in the process."