Borough Building Updates

Staff Relocation

February 2023 - The Borough Administrative Office and Police Station have moved into the former Woodland Hills Intermediate School (old West Junior High) at 7600 Evans Street. This location will serve as Borough Offices for approximately the next two years while the former building at 7560 Roslyn Street is demolished and the brand new building is built.Line of Police Cars 1

Swissvale Municipal Building Project

August 2022 - The Borough of Swissvale is in the process of designing a new Municipal Building to replace the current 116 year old building. The plan would include the demolition of the existing building located at the corner of Roslyn Street and South Braddock Avenue and constructing a new building on the same property.

The plans shown here are the results of the schematic design process completed by CORE Architects and Lennon, Smith, Souleriet Engineers and recommended by the Swissvale Borough Municipal Building Committee.  The plans represent a concept of what the new Municipal Building will look like but are subject to some modifications throughout the design process.

The project is being designed with sustainability in mind and all aspects of the building and site development will meet or exceed the requirements of the building codes.  Solar panels are planned for the building, all plumbing fixtures will be low flow, all lighting circuits will be controlled by motion sensors and all HVAC equipment will be high efficiency in order to keep our energy costs low and help reduce our carbon footprint.

Please click through the slideshow below to view images and read descriptions of the proposed designs. 

Swissvale Borough Council will be voting on September 7, 2022 whether or not to move to the next stage of the design process.

Please check back for periodic updates on the design and construction of our new Swissvale Borough Municipal Building.

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Cost Estimate and Building Schedule

Cost Estimate - This is a preliminary cost estimate and is subject to change as the design is refined and as a result of the fluctuating market for materials and supplies. 

Building Schedule – This is a preliminary schedule and is subject to change based upon the availability of materials and supplies necessary to construct the facility.

Core Boring Complete

July 2022 - Construction Engineering Consultants of Swissvale drilled core borings at 7560 Roslyn Street in preparation for the new Municipal Building to be constructed at this site.  The purpose of the core borings is to perform a subsurface soil investigation to determine the soil types underneath which will help the architects design the proper type of footer based upon the subsurface conditions.

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Contracts Awarded

Spring 2022 - Swissvale Council  awarded a contract to CORE Architects for the design of a new municipal building to replace the existing Borough Building at the corner of South Braddock Avenue and Roslyn Street. CORE has done other work in the Borough including designs for the Dickson STEAM Academy renovations and the proposed designs for the Swissvale Library.

Council also awarded a contract to LSSE Engineers for the Civil and Geotechnical Engineering work for the new building. The Building Committee, which is chaired by Council member William Price and includes council members Weldianne Scales and Shawn Alfonso Wells, will be meeting with design consultants and staff to begin the design process. 

Ms. Scales shared at a recent council meeting that both CORE Architects and LSSE Engineers met the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals that the Building Committee has set for this project. 

These are the very preliminary steps of a long and detailed process. We are anticipating a nine-month design and permitting process. We would like to demolish the current building by the end of 2022 and break ground for the new building early in 2023. We will continue to update you on the progress of the design and construction.

Borough Building Replacement Plan

Spring 2020 - The necessity to either completely renovate or replace the aging Borough Municipal Building has been a lingering concern for years. In the spring of 2020, the urgency to address the building’s condition was further highlighted when the rear wall of council chambers collapsed onto and through the roof of the Public Works garage. (Pictured below.) Thankfully, no one was injured. 

Council has spent the past year working with CORE Architects to determine if it was feasible to renovate the Borough Municipal Building and continue to occupy the 115 year-old structure. After a thorough analysis, CORE found that the building needed far too many repairs to make it economically feasible to renovate due to code compliance, structural and environmental issues. CORE has recommended the demolition of the existing building and construction of a new 14,000 square foot municipal building at the existing location at the corner of S. Braddock and Roslyn.  

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