New Pennridge Regional Police Headquarters
Building Update
August 16, 2010
Plans for the new Pennridge Regional Police Department headquarters are proceeding on schedule to prepare for a summer 2011 move-in date.
The building will be located on Ridge Road near the Comcast Building at Bethlehem Pike. The Pennridge Regional Police department serves both East Rockhill and West Rockhill Townships – and the location of the new building is easily accessible to both communities.
Building Details:
- First floor, 7500 sq ft
- Partial basement, 3000 sq ft
- State of the art communication tools
- Security equipment provided through a U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Orientated Policing grant.
Sustainable heating system to be installed
Additionally, the new building will have an HVAC system that uses a geothermal heat pump. With this system water will be pumped into a series of 10 or 12 wells and uses the ground from the Earth as its heat source.
Although this system is more expensive than conventional systems to install, it is more cost effective in the long run and reduces its carbon footprint. It will have less operating expense costs, and is estimated to have a payback period of less than six years.
Using modular construction
The new Pennridge Regional Police Headquarters will be built using modular construction. It is estimated that 10 units will be built in a factory offsite with most of the plumbing and electrical work included. The modules will be assembled into a single non-residential building with the use of cranes. Exterior finishes and a roof will be added on-site.
Plans should be completed in September with bids to be received in October.
