Work on the Whitehall Township Municipal Building is nearing completion, with an expected move-in date of Dec. 15 for all employees, according to Mayor Michael Harakal Jr. The new space will hold the township headquarters to the right and will station the police department to the left.

Construction on this renovation and expansion project, set on the grounds of the existing 3219 MacArthur Road building, first began in March 2020.

The new police department will require granted access for entry. Once inside, the space is centered around a grand stairwell that flows into multiple suboffice rooms upstairs. The department will have internal access to adult and juvenile cells with individual rooms for suspect interviews and evidence holdings.

The Whitehall fire chief will also have his own suite, allowing for the emergency service departments to communicate more efficiently.

The right side of the building opens to a large room that holds different suboffices in what Harakal referred to as the transaction lobby. The three independent spaces will host the administration office, tax department and development department. The public will be able to communicate with these offices by a front window system. During tax and permit season, residents can expect to see all three windows open to increase traffic flow.

Parts of the township headquarters are still under construction, including the board of commissioners public meeting room. The township faced a few delays with construction due to back-orders on certain products and unexpected impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Harakal said this building should give the township at least 50 years of service before any improvements are needed.

More information on the completion of the township building is to come in the next two months.