Berks County officials announced Monday plans to purchase a new home for many of its departments.
In a release, officials said they are preparing to purchase the four-story, 130,000-square-foot former Wells Fargo building at 600 Penn St. from local developer Alan Shuman. The site was once the home of Pomeroy’s department store, which was closed in 1985 and demolished in 1995.
Pomeroy’s and Whitner’s Reading timelines
Officials said they hope to finalize the purchase by the end of September. A final purchase price will be determined once fair market value is established pursuant to the requirements and procedures set forth in the county code.
The decision to purchase the building was made to address much-needed renovations of the Berks County Services Center and the Berks County Courthouse, officials said. Both buildings are in the 600 block of Court Street.
“After evaluating all available options, the county commissioners and administration determined that acquiring 600 Penn St. represents the most practical and strategic solution,” the statement reads.
The services center, constructed in the mid-1990s, is due for its first major renovation in nearly 30 years, according to the statement. The last time the county’s aging courthouse had any sort of major renovation was when the county services center was built.
Berks County is preparing to purchase the four-story, 130,000-square-foot former Wells Fargo building at 600 Penn St. from local developer Alan Shuman as a new home for many county departments. (Bill Uhrich – Reading Eagle)
The cost to modernize the courthouse has been rapidly escalating, with estimates exceeding $130 million, county officials said. Those costs are driven not only by planned improvements, but by the immense challenge of replacing and bringing up to modern building codes more than 19 floors of aging, century-old infrastructure.
To avoid that costly project, the county has instead decided to purchase the Wells Fargo building and convert it into a county government center.
Officials estimate renovations to the building will cost about $35 million. A timeline for the project was not provided.
It will house many of the county departments currently in the services center, allowing that building to be converted into a county judicial center that will house the courts, judges’ chambers, court administration, sheriff’s office, district attorney’s office and probation department.
Officials said this approach establishes a critical safeguard, providing the county with operational flexibility should the current courthouse become uninhabitable due to infrastructure failure.
County officials said there are no plans to sell or demolish the current courthouse, adding that decisions on its fate will be made in the future.
The departments that will be moved to the new government center include:
• Commissioners
• Controller
• Budget & Finance
• Chief Clerk
• Children & Youth Services
• Election Services
• Human Resources
• Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities
• Operations
• Public Relations
• Purchasing
• Recorder of Deeds
• Solicitor
• Tax Claim
• Treasurer
County officials called the decision to create the new government center “fiscally prudent.”
“Berks County remains committed to responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources, preservation of essential services and thoughtful investment in the future of our community,” the statement reads. “The purchase of 600 Penn St. balances fiscal prudence with the need to modernize, protect and strengthen county government for the coming generations.”