![\"Berks](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/REG-L-BerksCourthouseServicesCenter-01.jpeg\")
Berks County is now planning much-needed renovations of the county services center and courthouse. (Bill Uhrich – Reading Eagle)<\/p>\nBerks County officials are moving forward with plans to buy an office building in downtown Reading, a move that will allow the county to temporarily relocate some departments to make way for a major renovation project at the historic courthouse.<\/p>\n
The commissioners at a meeting Tuesday unanimously approved executing a letter of intent to purchase the four-story, 130,000-square-foot former Wells Fargo building at 600 Penn St. from local developer Alan Shuman.<\/p>\n
A purchase price will be determined once fair market value is established pursuant to the requirements and procedures set forth in the county code for buying property.<\/p>\n
Chief Operations Officer Kevin Barnhardt said a study of the county\u2019s properties done over the past several years show that the\u00a0 courthouse and county services center are in serious need of renovations.<\/p>\n
The most pressing need, he said, is addressing the worsening mechanical and structural issues inside the 1931 courthouse.<\/p>\n
Berks County is now planning much-needed renovations of the county services center and courthouse. (Bill Uhrich – Reading Eagle)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all know that it\u2019s nearly 100 years old and has significant deficiencies that were identified by engineers,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are serious safety concerns.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there is a failure of any of the systems \u2014 whether that be electric, water, sanitary or HVAC \u2014 we would be required by code to vacate the building. We don\u2019t want to be the group that decides to kick the can down the road and then something catastrophic happens. So we decided on a proactive approach.\u201d<\/p>\n
The idea, Barnhardt said, is to purchase the building at 600 Penn and use it as a space to house various county departments in order to be able to completely vacate the courthouse. Once the courthouse is finished, the plan is to repopulate it.<\/p>\n
At this point, Barnhardt said, there is not yet a cost estimate or timeline for the courthouse project, nor is there a plan for which departments will temporarily move to 600 Penn.<\/p>\n
A \u2018thoughtful\u2019 decision<\/p>\n
The commissioners said they did not come to the decision to buy 600 Penn easily.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has been a lot of time and thought put into this,\u201d Commissioner Michael Rivera said.<\/p>\n
Commissioner Dante Santoni Jr. said the county\u2019s leadership team has been working on the plan to purchase the building and renovate the courthouse for a long time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis certainly wasn\u2019t a knee-jerk reaction,\u201d he said. \u201cI know we looked at a number of different scenarios and I want to commend all those involved in this.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the need for the project at the courthouse, Rivera said the age of the building has forced the county\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that a lot of people have been asking why the county didn\u2019t maintain the courthouse over the years,\u201d he said. \u201cWell, the county has maintained it, but there are only certain repairs that can be made to a 100-year-old building while it is in use.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best way to make the kind of renovations that are needed is to do it all at the same time to ensure that it is done right and that they will last.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commissioner Christian Leinbach said the work at the courthouse won\u2019t happen overnight, and is only a piece of a long-term vision.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is just the beginning of a major project that is going to take place over many years \u2014 that\u2019s the reality,\u201d he said. \u201cThis will be a long process. We have made a very clear decision to keep the courthouse, focus on the courthouse, and that\u2019s our starting point.\u201d<\/p>\n
To that end, the commissioners approved hiring the Lancaster-based architectural firm Beers + Hoffman to help create a phased master plan for the downtown renovation project that will include work at the courthouse, services center and 600 Penn.<\/p>\n
The commissioners also approved moving forward with buying 600 Penn, opting against an alternative option of leasing the property.<\/p>\n
Laura Jones, county chief financial officer, said her team was tasked with determining whether it made more financial sense for the county to purchase or lease 600 Penn.<\/p>\n
According to their estimate, Jones said, the county could save roughly $12 million over the next decade by purchasing the building. That is in part due to the county\u2019s ability to negotiate utility prices, she said, as well as the county\u2019s ability to use bonds to complete minor renovations of the building.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinancially, it makes more sense to buy that building,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd what this doesn\u2019t include is the fact that we will then have an asset after all this that we can repurpose or sell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Change of direction<\/p>\n