After several years of planning, Carbon County kicked off its courthouse renovation project this year.

The $5 million project, which began in mid-November, will take approximately 18 months to complete.

On Thursday, Commissioner Rocky Ahner said that so far everything is on schedule, with five change orders for smaller issues that arose when companies were working on various electrical, plumbing and other tasks.

“I think it’s going pretty good,” Ahner said.

Carbon County opened the bids for the courthouse renovation project in July and awarded the bids in 2-1 votes in August. At the time, Commissioner Chris Lukasevich cast “no” votes for the contracts because he felt the county was overspending and voiced his disapproval for moving the clerk of courts office to the first floor.

The four contracts awarded totaled $5,029,400 for work on all three floors of the courthouse, including updating electrical, boilers and pumps, shifting a few offices and providing necessary updates to the functionality of the over century old building.

Contracts were awarded to CMG of Easton Inc. for general construction at a bid of $1,489,900 with no alternate; JBM Mechanical Inc. will be the mechanical contractor at a bid of $2,020,000, which includes an alternate bid for boilers and pumps; K.C. Mechanical Inc. was awarded the plumbing contract at a bid of $447,000; and G.R. Noto Electrical Inc. will do the electrical work at a total cost of $1,072,500.

The project includes interior renovations to upgrade electrical systems, HVAC, plumbing and shifting around a few offices; but the historic appearance of the courthouse will remain unchanged.

Complaints and moves

The project also saw a mandamus complaint filed by Sheriff Daniel Zeigler in November over the use of space on the first floor of the courthouse.

In the complaint, Zeigler said that his office was not provided adequate accommodations for all the staff to complete their work and requested using open space that was created when the public defenders office moved.

Visiting Senior Judge Edward D. Reibman ruled that Zeigler could use the space in question until the close of business Dec. 15 but then had to relocated back to the office space his department currently utilized.

Reibman added in his ruling that counsel and both parties will again meet at 10 a.m. on Jan. 4 for a settlement conference.

One other office on the first floor of the courthouse, the register of wills/clerk of orphans’ court, also saw its operations shift for the duration of the project.

The register of wills is now operating out of the second floor of the 76 Susquehanna St. building until the courthouse renovations are complete.