LANSDALE – When customers start arriving at Lansdale Borough’s temporary municipal complex around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, the differences between that complex and the old Borough Hall will be apparent immediately. More space for visitors, simpler and faster access to any borough employee, and views of several borough departments in action – some might say in motion – are just a few of the features that residents will enjoy at 645 W. Ninth St. during the roughly two years
that Borough Hall will be under construction
. ‘It’s interesting, sitting in my office and seeing the Electric vehicles, and the Public Works vehicles, and the Wastewater Treatment Plant vehicles, all going back and forth. I really feel like I get to see the heart and soul of borough government,’ said borough Manager Timi Kirchner. Tuesday was the last day of preparation at the temporary complex, which consists of two modular trailers connected by a covered platform and surrounded by newly paved parking, directly adjacent to ballfields and just up a short driveway from those other borough departments. Signs featuring the Lansdale-L brand and logo direct visitors from Moyer Road down Ninth Street, into the newly paved lot, and from there to the trailer where most borough functions will now be hosted. A freestanding dropbox stands outside the complex for visitors to drop off utility payments, but inside the larger of the two trailers is where to find the new look of local government. Instead of one crowded window where visitors have to stand side by side, the new complex features a corridor with historical photos of old Lansdale across from four partitioned desk stations – one dedicated solely to Code permits – where Code, Finance, or WWTP payments can be made. ‘We felt that two (desks) would be enough, but we have a fourth desk if it really gets crowded, and there are periods of the month and year when they need that extra help,’ said Finance Director Brian Shapiro. Just down that entry corridor (past a pair of accessible public restrooms) is office space for state Sen. Bob Mensch, R-24th District, and his representatives to hold the regular office hours that had been hosted in Borough Hall. Behind a partitioned wall is a shared meeting room with storage space for several borough departments, a large TV monitor to pull up online plans, and tables large enough for Code officials to spread out plans – just a few steps away from a Code plan printer that each member of that department can access anytime. ‘We’d like to lay this out in the new building too: each station has a plan review area, so we have enough room to do that now. We never could do that before,’ said building code inspector Andy Krauss,
as he took his hardened tablet
out of a docking station at the rear of the office trailer. ‘We request a copy of digital plans, so now if we need prints they come right out of the printer, right onto the BCO (Building Code Official) table, so nothing gets lost in translation,’ he said. Customer Service Manager Pat Chapman has an office directly behind the front desks to assist with any resident issues, and borough receptionist Jordana Fitzgerald handles all phone calls from a cubicle directly behind – but staff can switch back and forth between most stations, and the front desk receptionists can use a newly approved VOIP phone system to page any borough employee from anywhere to that front desk. A break room lets employees step away for a few minutes, and the new customer service complex is notable for what it doesn’t have: any of the problems that plagued
the former Borough Hall, like leaky roofs, flooding, or insect problems
. Across the shared porch, a second smaller trailer houses four offices: those of Kirchner, Director of Community Development John Ernst, Communications Coordinator Tracy Flynn and Administrative Assistant Stacie Maile. The four share a restroom and a conference room that was still being unpacked Tuesday afternoon, and which features equipment that regular borough meeting attendees will recognize: the conference table and new chairs
moved out of the borough hall caucus room that flooded last summer
. ‘It’s been a long process, and we’ve come a very long way in a very short period of time,’ Ernst said. The Lansdale Municipal Complex, located at 645 W. Ninth St., is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. week days starting Nov. 13 and can be reached by calling (215) 368-1691. For more information visit www.Lansdale.org or follow @LansdalePA on Twitter. Follow staff writer Dan Sokil on Twitter @DanSokil.For breaking news SMS alerts from The Reporter, text LANNEWS to 22700 from your mobile phone. *Msg & data rates may apply. For help, text HELP. To cancel, text STOP.
