By John Tredrea, Special Writer
Major reconstruction of the Hopewell Township Municipal Building is under way.
The project, which began in mid-April, will take about nine months, said Paul Pogorzelski, township administrator and engineer .
The work “will primarily repair extensive water damage sustained in the building over the past 20-plus years,” said Mr. Pogorzelski, who has been the township administrator since early 2007.
He has served as municipal engineer or assistant municipal engineer since 1979.
The work on the building at 201 Pennington-Washington Crossing Road will include reconstruction of brick facing, reconstruction of mansard roofing, waterproofing foundation walls, reconstruction of the steps at the main entrance, reconstruction of the police entrance, window replacements, generator upgrades and elevator pit reconstruction.
”The magnitude of work is significant,” Mr. Pogorzelski said, and it “will be disruptive to day-to-day operations. Efforts are being made to coordinate project phasing to minimize inconvenience to the public and township staff.”
Temporary offices may be established in the upper level of the building to better accommodate the more frequently visited departments that are normally located in the lower level. This change may be made since the elevator will be out of service for approximately two months.
”Temporary access points to the building will be established, and as the project advances, those access points may need to be relocated,” Mr. Pogorzelski said. “Again, every effort is being made to minimize inconvenience to the public, however, given the magnitude of the project, inconveniences will no doubt occur for which we apologize.”
A web page www.hopewelltwp.org/project-documents/munibldg/index.html has been established on the Hopewell Township website for information relating to the project.
A feedback button is available to send comments or experiences negative and positive to Mr. Pogorzelski, who is coordinating work with the project architect and contractor.
