‘Beacon of justice’
Montco breaks ground on $415M courthouse project
NORRISTOWN » After years of planning and developing, officials Tuesday morning broke ground on a $415 million construction of the Montgomery County Justice Center.
“I think a lot of us thought this day would never come, but I always believed that it would,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Val Arkoosh during a formal ceremony outside the courthouse.
“On this ground where we’re standing today will rise a beautiful building, which someone other than me referred to as the shining beacon of justice on a hill: the Montgomery County Justice Center,” said Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Thomas DelRicci.
The project will result in the consolidation and modernization of the courthouse and corresponding facilities.
“The design of the justice center will transform the core of Norristown, transform Hancock Square park and restore a county landmark, our historic courthouse,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Vice Chairman Ken Lawrence Jr.
Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Gale was not in attendance Tuesday morning, but vocally opposed contracts related to the multi-million-dollar project in previous meetings.
“The courthouse campus renovation was originally budgeted to cost $281 million but has since
spiraled to over $400 million,” Gale told MediaNews Group. “That’s outrageous and unacceptable. This capital project is budgeted to be the most expensive in Montgomery County’s history and construction has not even begun.”
“That’s why I call this money pit the half-billiondollar-boondoggle,” he continued. “It’s the definition of government waste that funnels taxpayer dollars to unions and special interest groups that give campaign money to Democrats in order to gain favor in the bidding process.”
Elected officials present during Tuesday’s ceremony thanked and acknowledged several participants including staff, row officers, former commissioners, and municipal leaders.
They also praised the initiative’s architect and contracting firms for their ongoing efforts.
Noting that “this is right now one of the largest courthouse construction projects in the country,” Phil Wessell,
the project’s senior architect with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill said the finished 508,150-square-foot facility is slated to have longstanding impacts on the county seat. While renovation discussions first began in 2015, according to a county spokesperson, it’s expected to be completed in 2026.
“Our hope and the base of our design is that this really will be the genesis for the redevelopment and revitalization of downtown Norristown,” Wessell told MediaNews Group.
Lawrence agreed.
“This project will change the face of Main Street and complement the ongoing efforts to bolster development of downtown Norristown,” Lawrence said.
That vision is of great importance to Norristown Municipal Council President Derrick Perry, who stressed the importance of bringing opportunity to the downtown area.
“Norristown is going to be a destination,” Perry said. “We are the county seat, and one thing that we want to do here with this project, and every other project that’s coming through, is we want to keep moving Norristown forward and that’s our main focus.”
While the Montgomery County Court House has been in existence for more than 150 years, DelRicci emphasized the upcoming journey as the historic building goes through its own renaissance.
“In a few years, it will be rechristened as the justice center,” he said. “That name reflects the nature of the work that must be done within its walls. Those walls that will rise here — it is a place where justice will be done.”