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More than 500 new windows for the Luzerne County Courthouse in Wilkes-Barre have arrived, with installation set to start Monday, said county Engineer Lawrence Plesh.
				The county entered into a $1.72 million contract with Clarks Summit-based D&M Construction Unlimited Inc. in January to complete the work, which will be funded by $7.9 million the county had borrowed to address energy drains.
				D&M had planned to start installing the windows in May but was sidetracked due to the coronavirus, Plesh said. The pandemic also delayed manufacturing of the Marvin Windows, he said.
				Each window will be cut to fit based on precise measurements, and the county selected a design that should blend in and keep the same look of the century-old structure, which is listed on the state&rsquo;s National Register of Historic Places, Plesh said.
				&ldquo;These windows are custom,&rdquo; Plesh said.
				Because the window arrival and start date was pushed back, it&rsquo;s unclear if the project will be completed by the end of the year as originally planned, he said.
				Multiple steps are involved because contractors must remove the old windows and frames before new ones can be installed, he said. They then must complete the trim and add calking outside to make them watertight.
				The calking cannot be added in cold temperatures, which will force contractors to time that part of the project based on the weather, he said.
				Most work will be completed at nights and on weekends. Plesh alerted department heads that parking in spaces closest to the structure will be off-limits after 4:30 p.m.
				Crews plan to start at the bottom of the structure and work their way up, he said.
				Some windows will take longer than others, depending on their size and interior/exterior placement. While it may take a full day to install bigger arched windows, replacement of standard ones should be completed faster, he said.
				County Manager C. David Pedri has said the building must be &ldquo;sealed up&rdquo; because there is too much air loss through the windows.
				The new windows will have insulation between the panes and be &ldquo;10 times better than the old,&rdquo; resulting in energy efficiency that is &ldquo;through the roof,&rdquo; Plesh has said. The same molding had been kept when the windows were replaced in the late 1980s, causing peeling in the wood and preventing many windows from properly closing, he has said.
				The county is using standard aluminum exterior trim instead of a more expensive custom replacement, and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission cleared the design and color selections as required, according to Plesh.
				As part of the energy saving project, the county switched to more cost-efficient LED lighting, sealed buildings and upgraded the mechanical system insulation and some plumbing. Two new boilers were set up in the courthouse subbasement to heat the building, ending reliance on steam delivered through an aging and deteriorating underground pipe linked to a boiler plant near the prison on Water Street in Wilkes-Barre.

Installation of new Luzerne County Courthouse windows set to begin Monday