Carbon County will use $7.7 million from a recent bond sale to fund a strategic building plan that will result in more space for workers, and fund some ongoing projects.

It's no secret that several departments, particularly the district attorney's office, have outgrown their space at the Carbon County courthouse and courthouse annex. The bond issue finalized just before the holiday is a sign that the commissioners are putting their money where their mouths are in regard to improving the county's facilities.As a result of the bond sale, the county will have $7,740,700 to spend on various projects with the ultimate goal of creating more space for its workers in downtown Jim Thorpe."Space has become a serious problem for the county, and particularly court-related offices," Commissioner William J. O'Gurek said.The biggest chunk of funding - $4,770,000 - will go toward the construction of a new office building at 44 Susquehanna St.O'Gurek said that the hope is that the building will be three stories, and alleviate space issues in the courthouse.But first the county has to find a new home for its archives and maintenance departments, which are currently located at 44 Susquehanna St.The bond issue includes $338,700 for a new maintenance building, proposed to be built at the north end of the county's parking lot along the Lehigh River in Jim Thorpe. It will be located roughly near the old Route 903 bridge, which was demolished earlier this year.The county is already working on renovating a new location for the archives on the east side of Jim Thorpe.The bond issue also includes $2 million for the proposed fire training and 911 dispatch center in Nesquehoning.O'Gurek said that even with the $2 million, that project still needs more funding, which they hope to obtain through grants."Between the money we're allocating and some of the money we've received through the state, we're getting close to having that all in place," O'Gurek said.The remaining funds will be split between demolishing the old archive building, improvements at the courthouse, and software for the courthouse and 911 center.The 25-year bond comes with a 2.9 percent interest rate, but the commissioners say that the county will be able to pay back that amount without any need for a tax increase.The county charges a 0.25-mill tax on all property owners to fund debt service, in addition to its 10-mill general fund tax.At their meeting Dec. 22, the commissioners thanked the county controller and treasurer for good budgeting practices, which resulted in the county receiving a very good AA bond rating from Standard & Poor's."We believe we can execute this bond program for years without affecting the tax millage rate," O'Gurek said.