SUNBURY — Northumberland County is going to have a new courthouse and a new prison, together, on the former Celotex/Moran Industries site. Setting the course for the next century, two commissioners Tuesday approved borrowing $10 million over 20 years; they say these funds will act as start-up money for the project.
Commissioner Richard Shoch voted no, saying the $10 million was an excessive request, “They felt it was much more than would be needed for [the start-up], so to the extent that you can take out less initially…was the idea.”
Shoch also voted no on another motion that opts for a new courthouse alongside the new prison. He believes analyzing the cost of renovating the existing courthouse would pay off in the long run.
He said, “It’s not an insignificant amount of money to have them do that analysis, but in the grand scheme, if you’re talking about building a courthouse and a prison, you’re talking about 50 to 60 million dollars. It’s a relatively small amount to invest.”
Shoch stated that he has no problem with any of the current companies, but rather how the board has been handling the project. (John Brunner)