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Renovations Give County Courthouse The Power To Save

MONTROSE — The courthouse in Susquehanna County may be two centuries old, but now the historic building has the latest heating and cooling technology, and...
susq courthouse

MONTROSE -- The courthouse in Susquehanna County may be two centuries old, but now the historic building has the latest heating and cooling technology, and that could end up saving taxpayers big money.

By the end of next month, the historic Susquehanna County Courthouse in Montrose will look the same on the outside, but inside it's a different story.

"We had controls on the wall, but they didn't do anything. I don't know why they were there," laughed Commissioner Maryann Warren, (D) Susquehanna County.

Commissioners say the heating system in the courthouse was costing the county $20,000 each winter in oil heat, not to mention the coal.

"We had to have people come in and feed the coal to the furnace, even on weekends and holidays," said Warren.

So county leaders decided it was time to overhaul the courthouse. Impact fee money from the natural gas industry helped defray the nearly $5 million in costs, plus commissioners expect the project will pay for itself in seven years.

"If we don't save the money, then Johnson Controls is going to write the check for us," said Commissioner Alan Hall, (R) Susquehanna County.

Susquehanna County hired the company that specializes in upgrading old buildings with new energy-efficient features to install new heating and cooling, and replace the windows, too. Even the hallway entrance underwent renovations.

Not only has the Susquehanna County Courthouse eliminated oil, but also coal burned in a boiler, replaced them with two natural gas boilers, saving the county thousands in the years to come.

Kathy Ragard works in the district attorney's office and has already noticed a huge difference.

"We never got hot up here. It was cold. We used to have little heaters in here that we used and they ran all day long," Ragard said.

County workers have had to temporarily move during the construction project, but at the end of the several months, employees say the courthouse not only looks and feels nicer, but will be more environmentally friendly as well.

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