After months of discussion and delay, work to renovate Pennsburg Borough's maintenance garage and former recycling center kicked off this week. On Monday, two or three contractors began preparing its current maintenance facility for major construction that is expected to occur next month, according to Jason Kulp, the borough's roads and maintenance supervisor.

            According to Kulp, they will spend most of the week removing electrical services and disconnecting the plumbing. He said significant changes should be visible at the location by the middle of August.

            In March, council voted to award a $1.89 million contract to Hollenbach Construction, from Douglass Township, for the borough's civic building and garage renovation project. The base bid totals $1.817 million.

            A low-interest loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is funding the work to renovate the municipal building, its maintenance garage and the former recycling center.  The plan also calls for the relocation of the borough's public works department to the former recycling center and the demolition of 90 percent of the current maintenance garage. Additionally, that area will be replaced by a new salt bin.

            The municipality's current salt bin area will be converted into a break room, bathroom, storage, and office space for the public works department. An adjacent storage area will be refurbished. The work will include the installation of new garage doors and insulation.

            The interior garage renovations are tentatively scheduled to conclude in January, according to Lisa Hiltz, the borough's administrative manager. She also said exterior work to the Civic Building, located at 76 W. 6th Street, is scheduled to begin in August and conclude in November.

            The work includes asbestos removal, according to the manager. Earlier this year, borough engineer John Rundy estimated the cost of the abatement at approximately $100,000. Municipal officials don't expect the work to impact the facility's ability to serve as voting location Nov. 5 General Election.

            In October, the federal agency officially approved the loan for the work. In 2020, municipal officials proposed converting the borough's recycling center into a maintenance garage as well as making several improvements to the Civic Building, such as replacing the roof and repairing minimal underlayment damage replacing windows, glass blocks and doors, installing EIFS -- a type of synthetic stucco -- over the bricks instead of repointing them, purchasing a new emergency generator, installing a main entrance canopy and other interior renovations. However, most of those items were removed from the project scope.

            Pennsburg Council also removed a proposed sally port and canopy for the Upper Perk Police Department from the project. In November of 2020, F. Robert Seville, then a member of council and chair of the borough's Facilities Committee, described the items as part of a wish list for municipal officials.