On Friday, Rep. Jerry Knowles, R-Schuylkill, christened his new district office in Tamaqua with a ribbon cutting and open house.

Numerous city officials attended the ceremony, including Tamaqua Director of Community Development Ann Marie Calabrese, who presented Knowles with a gift basket commemorating the new location.

When citing the reason behind the transplant, Knowles’ explanation revealed something of a yearslong process. Over time, people had brought forth concerns that the previous location, which operated in an old doctor’s office, wasn’t accessible for people with physical disabilities. Some complaints, Knowles said, were filed with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“Through the years, there were people who would come to us and express their concerns over that,” Knowles explained. “We always told people that if an opportunity did come up, that we would seriously consider (moving).”

That “opportunity” came when a building formerly accommodating AAA offices on Broad Street became available.

“It just was the ideal situation,” Knowles said.

The building now housing Knowles’ district office is owned by Pencor Services Inc. Before his moving in, various renovations were made, including a new bathroom, kitchen, carpet and ceilings.

“(Pencor) made a good investment in it,” Knowles said.

“(Moving) was just the right thing to do,” he said. “It’s brighter, it’s much easier for people to get in and out. We’re close to the senior citizen population.”

In all fairness, Knowles said, the landlord of his old district office building made numerous attempts to alleviate its inaccessibility, but he said every solution “was either not possible or outrageously expensive.

“It was not an easy decision, but when you sat down and you put it on a piece of paper, it was just the right thing to do for the people,” he said.

While the location of Knowles’ district office may have changed, he said that its mission will remain the same.

“My hopes are that we will continue to serve the people of the 124th district,” Knowles said. “We just keep on doing what we’re doing, but just in a different place.”