Monitoring the Sept. 5 move from temporary administrative quarters on Tenth Street back to the established Emmaus Borough Hall at 28 S. Fourth St., borough mayor Lee Ann Gilbert said it was an “exciting” time for the community.

The Fourth Street location has been closed since December 2021 as part of a $10 million infrastructure and office space improvements and restoration project that included the borough hall. Gilbert said the renovated location would be a “definite improvement” for borough administrative employees and more convenient for residents that interact with borough administrators.

Emmaus Borough Manager Shane Pepe, who planned and supervised the move of files, furniture, computers and personal business equipment and items back to the Fourth Street location, said the move required an “all hands on deck” effort by all of the borough’s public works employees. Pepe praised the workers for their dedicated support on very hot, humid late-summer days.

After the physical move, another big effort was required Sept. 6 to “put everything back together” with file cabinets and furniture in place, and phones and computers back up and running for the Sept. 7 reopening of the borough hall for resident business.

A priority Sept. 5 was the final set up of the reconfigured borough council meeting room on the upper level of the building for a Tuesday evening council meeting. Pepe said the changes and reconfiguration of the council chambers were well-received and positive from borough council members.

The borough hall renovation was part of an upgrade project including major upgrades to emergency services Central Station facilities at 420 S. Tenth St. Completion of the Central Station upgrades are still a few weeks away. Minor upgrades to the police department facility along Jubilee Street were also included.