The Monroe County Courthouse project was slated to be completed this year, but change orders and delays in getting materials have extended the timeline.

“It pushed it back a little bit,” said Sharon Laverdure, the chairwoman of the Monroe County Commissioners.

She said she thinks the completion date for the renovation and expansion will be sometime in 2024, possibly August.

At the Monroe County commissioners’ meeting on Wednesday morning, the commissioners approved another change order. This one was for the heating, ventilation and air system.

Marx Sheet Metal and Mechanical Inc. in Wilkes-Barre requested the change order to its contract to add $33,215 for an HVACC-006 compressor.

A change order occurs when the contractor for a project has to amend the contract, because its cost is higher than its original bid for the project.

At the meeting, Commissioner John Christy said, “We have a number of change orders that have been approved for the courthouse renovation-expansion across the street.”

Christy said the newest change order has put the total amount in change orders alone to more than $1 million. He also said that $5 million was built into the budget to cover change orders.

In an interview, Laverdure said the expansion was needed. Part of the reason for it is to increase safety in the buildings and the area for security. The expansion will enable the courthouse to have a larger lobby and security screening area, and the lower level with more parking and a prisoner holding area.

Before construction on the addition could begin, a PNC Bank and the old parking lot had to be removed, Laverdure said. Work on the project began in 2021.

The new three-story building is going to be comprised of 66,000 gross square feet. It will include six courtrooms and judicial chambers for judges and their support staff, she said.

“It’s going to be gorgeous, but more importantly it’s going to be a huge asset to Monroe County,” Laverdure said. “It’s much needed for growth.”

Once the new courthouse is completed, then the old courthouse and annex can be renovated. Most of the offices in those buildings, such as for probation, prothonotary, domestic relations and public defender, will remain in those buildings.

According to the courthouse website, the original courthouse for Monroe County was built in 1890. In 1934, an identically-sized addition was built onto it. These sections were added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 18, 1979. The last time the courthouse was expanded was in 1979.