From the outside, the Carbon County courthouse looks majestic, standing sentinel in the center of Jim Thorpe since 1893.

The stone structure sits on the corner of Broadway, welcoming visitors to town with the bell tower that serves as a ground point for the borough.

Most people wouldn’t know much is going on besides a sign hanging outside the entrance announced a multimillion dollar renovation project, as well as construction crews entering and exiting the building.

However, walk through the doors and a whole different world appears.

While daily court operations continue in the building, ceiling tiles have been removed, exposing new ductwork, electrical and water lines and more in the hopes of bringing the building up to meet today’s needs.

On the first floor, the former adult probation office has been gutted, revealing the historic arched ceilings; a 2-foot thick wall removed between two rooms and structural beams installed, and upgrades are taking shape for what will eventually house the Clerk of Courts offices.

Two additional rooms across the hall, as well as three rooms in the basement will be turned into office and storage space for the county sheriff’s office.

In the basement, new ductwork for air conditioning lines the ceiling, and areas wait for furnaces and other electrical supplies to be installed.

Commissioner Wayne Nothstein pointed out that drilling through walls to create holes for pipes and other necessary elements has been a challenge due to the thickness of the stone walls.

He added that the county is trying to coordinate a time for a complete shutdown of the courthouse to allow for the main electrical work to be completed.

The commissioners said that the basement will be climate controlled so records from various court offices could be stored down there without problem.

Commissioners’ Chairman Michael Sofranko said that there have been challenges and noted that the project has a lot of moving pieces that are slowly coming together.

“It’s a constant balancing act in keeping the project moving ahead in a timely manner,” Sofranko said last week.

On the second floor, ceiling tiles have been removed as construction begins with the next phase of the project, including some work in courtroom one to upgrade the HVAC.

In the district attorney’s office, staff is excited for the future additional space they will get after the clerk of courts moves to its new location.

Within that office alone, six assistant district attorneys take one room, six additional staff members split two smaller rooms and the county detectives take the other room.

County detective Jack Soberick said that right now, things are too tight, especially when it comes to needing to interview witnesses or children.

He and Detective Tim Wuttke almost back to back in the space that is available, surrounded by paperwork, a printer and additional items needed for investigations.

Assistant district attorney Brian Gazo said that pre-trial days are very hectic in the room he shares with his colleagues since the public is in the hallways and meeting with staff for cases.

Soberick commended the work being done because a lot of items are being addressed, including work that had been done incorrectly in the past and the additional space will alleviate a little pressure for working.

Overall, after all is completed, shifts of offices for the clerk of courts, sheriff and district attorney will have been made, while other offices, such as the prothonotary and register of wills will receive some in-house updates, including painting, shifting desks and some additional updates.

Sofranko and Nothstein said that the first floor work should be nearing completion in mid-April and will then allow the district attorney’s office to shift to the first floor to allow for work on the second floor to proceed.

“Thanks to all of the employees and row offices who are affected and dealing with this everyday dust, dirt, confusion and cleanup,” Sofranko said. “I thank them for their understanding.”

Carbon County kicked off the courthouse renovation in November.

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

In August, the county awarded four contracts, which total $5,029,400 for work on all three floors of the courthouse.

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.

Last week, the county approved several change orders for the project, but noted that they added and removed items to keep the contracts the same price.

The project is expected to be completed in 2025.