Municipal Hall renovations to include audio, visual equipment upgrades as Norristown council approves $331K contract - timesherald.com

NORRISTOWN — A more than $330,000 contract unanimously authorized Tuesday covered the acquisition of audio/visual equipment, as well as installation services at Municipal Hall.

Members of the Norristown Municipal Council approved the $331,665 agreement with Delco Solutions, of Broomall, Delaware County, during a work session Tuesday evening.

The six-figure contract was obtained through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's cooperative purchasing program, according to Municipal Administrator Crandall Jones.

Once installed, the equipment is expected to be housed in several locations inside the renovated facility, located at 235 E. Airy St., in Norristown, including offices and council chambers, according to municipal officials.

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The design for the front of the Norristown Municipal Hall on Airy Street.

Construction began in March 2021, according to a municipal spokesperson. Last May, several municipal departments including administration, code enforcement, finance, human resources, and planning, moved to a temporary space at 1700 Markley St. While an exact finishing date is unclear, municipal officials anticipate a timeline of early next year.

"Will the audio/visual equipment for the new municipal hall be up to date with technical capacity to do things like hybrid meetings?" asked Norristown Municipal Councilwoman Rebecca Smith.

"Yes, absolutely. We're really excited about it," Jones replied.

In other business, members of the Norristown Municipal Council unanimously authorized a lease agreement with the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority regarding a 68-acre portion of land on the grounds of the Norristown State Hospital.

Jones previously said the land transfer agreement was initially reached back in 2017. An agreement of sale between the state and county redevelopment authority was made back in February. However, the parcel is in the process of being conveyed from the state to the municipality.

"We want to definitely be able to have the land and property control," Jones said on Tuesday. "Once that happens, we know we might have a holdover tenant or two. In the midst of this transfer we did not want to put the RDA in the middle of that – that would be between us, in essence would make us the landlord to anybody that's already on the property."

Solicitor Sean Kilkenny agreed.

"You said it correctly, and there are provisions in this lease," Kilkenny said. "We realize that this is a sensitive matter. We've reviewed it amongst staff thoroughly. A conference call went over it again and again. The RDA has already publicly approved this case."

Among several entities is the Resources for Human Development's Coordinated Homeless Outreach Center. The 50-bed facility, otherwise known as CHOC, is the largest and only homeless space for single adults ages 18 years and older in Montgomery County. Its lease is set to lapse on June 30.

"It's important to note that when the CHOC closes, there won't be an emergency housing service in Montgomery County for single individuals who are homeless," a Resources for Human Development spokesperson said in a statement released earlier this month.

In March, a consortium of social service advocates had requested the municipality grant lease extensions lasting six months to a year to two agencies housed in Building 9: CHOC, and the Residential Treatment Facility for Adults. That request was later denied in a letter addressed to an advocate affiliated with the consortium.

Jones previously responded to MediaNews Group's request for comment on June 2 regarding the facility's upcoming closure in a statement.

"There are 62 communities in Montgomery County, and all need to be a part of the solution," Jones said on June 2. "The municipality already is home to 21 different social safety net services, and it is time to stop using Norristown as a dumping ground for these facilities and the vulnerable individuals they serve. There is no doubt that other sites are available in other communities to host these programs. Here in Norristown, we're already doing more than our fair share."

As plans for the site continue to evolve, council members instructed a representative from the solicitor's office to attend next week's zoning hearing board meeting. An item on the agenda features the 68-acre conveyance.

Jones noted that "part of that process is the RDA has to go to (the) zoning hearing board" to "request some variance in order to subdivide (the) property between us and the state."

Jones emphasized that the legal agency would provide a show of "support" for "the RDA's application for that so we can move this process along. As we are going through this process, our goal still is about October 2022 to have the conveyance completed, and the property in hand."

The zoning hearing board meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on June 28 at the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, located at 2 W. Lafayette St., in Norristown.

The next Norristown Municipal Council meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on July 5 at the MCIU. For more information, visit norristown.org.

Norristown Municipal Council Vice President Heather Lewis was absent from Tuesday's meetings. All unanimous votes were counted as 6-0. 

Municipal Hall renovations to include audio, visual equipment upgrades as Norristown council approves $331K contract - timesherald.com