Pennsylvania Courthouse Begins $2M Renovation

MIDDLEBURG, Pa.—A nearly $2 million renovation project of the Snyder County Courthouse and Annex in Middleburg is moving ahead.

Snyder County purchased the former 6,566-square-foot M&T Bank—known as the Annex—in 2018 for $245,000 and soon received a $500,000 state grant to renovate it.

The Annex is located directly next to the courthouse. The project includes moving several offices, including the commissioner’s office suite. The sheriff’s office will be relocated from a building next door to the courthouse to the existing commissioner’s suite. The renovations will connect the two buildings, include a single entry for security and an elevator.

December 28, 2020 was the kick-off date for this much-needed addition. County Board Chairman Joe Kantz said, in a statement, that the contract requires that renovations to the Annex be completed within 220 days from December 28, 2020. After allowing for a 30-day move of the offices, renovations in the courthouse must be finished within 100 days.

The commissioners, chief clerk and human resources offices and public meeting room will be relocated from the first floor of the courthouse to the top floor of the Annex. The treasurer and board of elections’ offices will also be moved from the courthouse to the first floor of the annex.

Commissioner Peggy Chamberlain Roup said the renovations and office reorganization will be an opportunity for all departments to get rid of unneeded paperwork and other outdated items.

“By the end of the year it will be complete,” said Kantz.

T. Ross Brothers is the general contractor on this project. The EADS Group is the architect.

The last major renovation of the courthouse was in the late 1970s.