The Monroe County commissioners approved some construction projects and changes to current projects last week.

The commissioners accepted a proposal from Schoonover & Vanderhoof Architects LLC in East Stroudsburg to provide the scope of renovations for 2642 Route 940, Pocono Summit. The county wants to renovate the building to be used as the Tobyhanna Township Magisterial District Justice Office building. It had been used as a real estate office. The cost of the renovation plans is $22,300.

In a different project, the commissioners approved the engineering proposal from Verdantas to provide the county with bridge inspection evaluations for the 2025/2026/2027 Bridge Inspection Cycle.

They will also provide Recommendation Reports for construction seasons 2026 through 2028. The cost of the proposal work is $47,000.

The commissioners also ratified a change order for work done by Lobar Construction Inc. for additional drywall, framing locks and soffits in the amount of $22,296.47. And they approved a guaranty agreement for a modified Guaranteed Limited Obligation Note for the Pocono Mountains Industrial Park Authority for $2 million.

Commissioner John Christy, the chairman of the commissioners, said, “What we’re doing is our attorneys like to have everything with belts and suspenders because ESSA changed their name. We are just updating our signature on that.”

The money is being used for engineering work on the Route 715 interchange project.

In December, Christy explained that the work involves Exit 298/299 and affects both east and west bound lanes.

“This has been a long-standing agreement we’ve had with the Pocono Mountain Industrial Development Authority,” he said. “It is bringing the amount down from $4 million to $2 million. That money is there to cover any costs that are incurred from obligations that the county has because we’re the backstop for the Pocono Mountain Industrial Development Authority. They are first in line, but we are the backstop for them.”