MONTGOMERY: Contract awarded to architect for Municipal Building renovation

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — The Spiezle Architectural Group has been awarded a $65,375 contract to draw plans for the proposed renovation of the Municipal Building, including the Police Department.
Township Committee awarded the contract — which also includes a provision to pay the firm an additional $10,000, if needed — at its Feb. 18 meeting.
The Trenton-based firm was one of three finalists for the proposed project. A subcommittee that included township officials and police officers, interviewed several firms before settling on The Spiezle Architectural Group.
Township Committeeman Richard Smith said it will take about six months for the architects to draw up plans and then go out to bid for the work.
The 15,000-square-foot building, which was constructed in 1965 and had undergone additions in 1980 and 1988, is falling apart, Mr. Smith said. The building needs to be renovated, he said.
The proposal to renovate and expand the Municipal Building is being driven, in part, by the cramped quarters occupied by the Montgomery Township Police Department.
The Police Department has been shoe-horned into a 5,000- to 6,000-square-foot space, but needs at least double that amount of space to function.
“We can finally deliver what we promised to the Police Department, the citizens and the township staff,” Mr. Smith said. “It will be a building we can be proud of, and that meets the standards of the 21st century.”