Structural repairs to closing of Westmoreland Courthouse entrance, courtyard

Courthouse Square and the Main Street entrance to the Westmoreland County Courthouse will be closed for at least six months to repair structural issues on the lower two underground parking levels below the government complex in Greensburg.

Commissioners on Tuesday are expected to award a $7 million emergency contract for the repairs during a special meeting.

“Our goal is to be finished with the work by October,” said Commissioner Doug Chew.

Details of the project will be announced Tuesday, officials said.

A proposed emergency declaration is expected to include language that states there is a “minimum chance of structural failure and the possibility of harm to person and property…”

The work will require the courtyard in front of the courthouse to be cordoned off and the main entrance to the building’s lobby to close, starting Wednesday and lasting for the duration of the repair project.

The former grand entrance to the old courthouse building on Main Street, which for decades had been closed because of security concerns, is expected to be used as temporary access to the complex.

Additional entrances to the courthouse annex and extension buildings on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue will remain open.

The county spent $70,000 in 2019 to install and fortify support beams to repair damage in the underground parking section of the building after concrete chunks crashed to the ground after years of water and salt leaked into the structure from the front courtyard above.

The parking garage is a perk given to elected officials, department heads, supervisors and other select employees. Visitors and most county workers pay for parking in lots and on the streets near the courthouse.

Commissioners are also expected to vote Tuesday on a proposal to pay $1,700 a month to rent 34 spaces for county workers in a privately owned lot on Otterman Street.