Commissioners approve $3.2M construction project; new hire questioned

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

Lebanon County Commissioners unanimously voted Thursday, Aug. 20, to approve Phase 2 renovations at the county municipal building at a cost of $3.2 million.

In another matter, commissioners split their vote 2-1 over the hiring of Palmyra Borough councilman Marcus Riddell as a county employee in the Register of Wills office.

Phase 2 renovations

First-floor construction to be performed in the former city offices and police department include general, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical work and ongoing asbestos abatement and contingencies, according to county administrator Jamie Wolgemuth.

Wolgemuth told LebTown after the meeting that abatement remediation is estimated at $700,000 and contingencies total $291,000, figures that were not discussed at the meeting. During the session, it was noted construction costs are $2.34 million, with Fidevia estimator Tony Klopp presenting a breakdown for each construction category.

Contingencies are unforeseen costs or changes to the scope of renovations or materials that often occur when renovating old buildings, according to Wolgemuth.

“The courthouse was built in the early 1960s, and much of the area being renovated is original to that time,” he said later. “Inevitably, we will run into hidden surprises or unexpected changes that could result in additional expense, or deductions.”

As previously reported, there are eight phases designed to modernize the 66-year old building.

The low bidders by construction category are:

General Construction

Caldwell Heckles & Egan, Lancaster – $965,000 (includes refinishing existing terrazzo flooring in all areas of the scope of the work, including garage stair tower, stairs, and rear vestibule).

The next lowest bid of the 11 received was from Balton Construction at $995,309, according to a bid document provided to the press by county officials.

Mechanical 

Shannon A. Smith, Myerstown – $577,000.

The next lowest bid among five received was from Hosler Enterprise at $670,893.

Plumbing

A.H. Moyer, Myerstown – $267,500.

The next lowest bid among four received was from Myco Mechanical at $312,000.

Electrical

Stoner Electric, Lebanon – $406,155 (includes replacing existing 18 space, 120/208V, 3P, 4W, panelboard for IT services with new 30 space, 120/208V, 3P, 4W panelboard).

The next low bid of the four received was from Shannon A. Smith at $438,700.

Bid satisfaction

Klopp said he’s pleased with the high number of bids received for this renovation phase. (In Phase 1, which was set to occur simultaneously with school construction projects, fewer bids were received and, in one case, no bids were received at all.)

The more bids received results in more competitive bidding, he said.

“We actually did come in just slightly lower than our estimated original budgets for this. So that is certainly a positive. I do attribute that to the quantity of bidders that we had,” Klopp said. “The more bidders we have, the more competitive it is. And again, we get the best kind of value for the money.”

Commissioners noted that they were pleased that the companies are predominantly located in the Lebanon Valley. Three of the four awarded contractors are based in Lebanon County, with the fourth hailing from Lancaster County.

Project details

Other information concerning the project was shared with the commissioners by Jon Suhirman, director of interior design at Beers + Hoffman Architecture. 

“This renovation encompasses about 16,000 square feet of space previously owned or occupied by the city located on the ground on the first floor. This allows the election services to move out of their current space and into a more renovated expanded space on the first floor,” said Suhirman, “and then the district attorney currently occupying the ground floor to move into the former police department spaces for additional space and they’ll allow for victim witness to also be within the same area.”

Klopp said construction is set to commence on Sept. 7 and is tentatively scheduled to end on April 27.

Bid bundling?

Since the same company placed bids over several areas of work, LebTown asked if their particular bid pricing was bundled. 

The short answer is no, according to Wolgemuth, who noted the county is required by state law to “separate them into separate areas.”

“But there are occasions that the same contractor provides multiple areas of service and there are times where let’s just say a contractor does both the mechanical and the plumbing,” Klopp said. “They can provide a bid for both of those scopes of work as a separate bid but as a company, as a whole, that particular contractor might knock 10% off of each one knowing that if they were awarded both they’d be profitable. And both, so you know, as a benefit they might bundle it in that aspect but they do have to be initially submitted separately.”

Project financing

Commissioner Robert Phillips asked how the project is funded.

“We still have ARPA funds that are committed to this project, so we’ll be using up the remainder of those before the end of the year as required,” Wolgemuth said. “They have to be spent by the end of the year.”

Other funding sources had been considered, he added.

“I was looking at borrowing a larger portion of this but I think we can get through at least Phase 1 with minimal or no borrowing. We have some capital funds that are set aside, about to over $2 million, that we can access for this. And I’m anticipating that we should be able to use the proceeds of sale of some property in the next few months that can be attributed to this,” Wolgemuth said.

Wolgemuth added one caveat.

“Without that, if that doesn’t carry through, then we’d be looking at borrowing a little earlier than anticipated. The next phases definitely will require some borrowing to get through those,” he said. “But if we can do a little cash on hand or (from) proceeds to get there before Phase 3, we’re going to try and do that.”

New hire questioned

Although most personnel transactions are approved unanimously and without discussion, Commissioner Jo Ellen Litz questioned the hiring of Marcus Riddell as a general clerk C in the Register of Wills office.

She said she wished to take time to research whether he is the same Marcus Riddell who serves on Palmyra Borough Council and who called the Palmyra fire chief a “pompous ass” at a borough council meeting last December.

“Marcus Riddell, if I have information correct, called someone a pompous ass in a public meeting and also wrote like three bad checks in other counties,” Litz said. Although she said she wasn’t certain it was the same person, she said “it should be researched before we vote on it.”

LebTown published in December the ongoing conflict between Riddell and the fire department over a lack of fundraising, which culminated at that session with Riddell calling Chief Dave Dugan a “pompous ass.” Riddell subsequently apologized for the comments.

An increase in the local fire tax was passed as part of the 2026 budget at that meeting, with Riddell one of two council members who opposed budget approval.

The public back-and-forth started Nov. 25 when, during budget discussions, Riddell asked about the department’s lack of fundraising efforts. Dugan said a 2012 study recommended the department not do fundraising, though they do an annual fund drive. He said that with training and an overall lack of volunteers, it would be difficult to ask members to do more work raising money.

On Thursday, Phillips made a motion but Litz refused to second it when asked by commission chairman Mike Kuhn. Kuhn then seconded a separate motion to hire Riddell at a starting salary of just over $30,000. 

“My only comment would be, my assumption is that it’s been screened through the folks and then through Brian (Craig),” Phillips said to human resources director Michelle Snavely, who shook her head no. “At least, Brian has the final say in hiring for his row office, so that’s kind of where I’m coming from.”

“But the reason we look at these is to scrutinize them, not to be a rubber stamp. And when the public tells me that it could be the same guy, I want to check further, maybe they weren’t aware of that,” Litz replied. “And it didn’t show up, so I really would like it researched further.”

Phillips then called the question, leading to a 2-1 vote with Litz voting no.

LebTown contacted Brian Craig, Register of Wills, to determine if this was the same Riddell. 

“So he wrote a bad check,” Craig said. “His last criminal record as far as the bad check thing is, it was from 2005. There’s been nothing since then, so that’s over 20 years.”

When asked, Craig admitted there were two bad check convictions, adding that Riddell had disclosed that information on his application for employment. 

“He’s a Navy veteran, served with the USS Enterprise. He served as a safety manager at Free Bird Chicken. He also served, I believe, two years as a staffer in the state Senate, and I’m hiring him for approximately $16 an hour entry-level position with the county,” Craig said. “So he far exceeded any other applicants that we had for such a position.”

Litz also expressed concerns about Riddell handling funds as part of his job. Craig told LebTown that two signatures are required for checks, and he is the only staff member to handle petty cash within his department.

Riddell issued an apology for his comment on his Facebook page, “Marcus Riddell for Palmyra Borough Council,” on Dec. 26, 2025.

A portion of that statement reads:

“At our recent Borough Council meeting, I allowed frustration to influence my words and tone, and I did not meet the standard of professionalism I expect of myself. My comments were not directed at the fire company, my colleagues, or the public, and I regret that they created disruption or reflected poorly on others. For this, I apologize.”

In an email to LebTown, Riddell said that he appreciated Craig’s confidence in his qualifications and the commissioners who voted to approve his hiring.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity, and my focus now is on learning the position, working hard, and providing the residents of Lebanon County with the professional and respectful service they deserve,” said Riddell. (Read his full statement below.)

Other county business

In other business, commissioners voted unanimously to:

• Approve the treasurer’s report with a beginning balance of $5,437,447.72, plus receipts of $1,480,185.89, for a total cash balance of $6,917,633.61, less expenditures of $1,377,804.11, and less tax claim of $89,930.01, leaving a balance of $5,449,899.49 million, which includes Friday’s payroll. 
• Accept an Election Integrity Grant from the state for its elections office totaling $471,677.25.
• Approve an updated Right-to-Know policy for the county. Included is updated information concerning procedures for filing an appeal, removing from the policy outdated technology like floppy discs, etc., and defining who qualifies as a requester, meaning anyone who is a resident of the United States can file a RTK with the county. It was stated most RTKs are coming from outside Lebanon County.
• Grant seven requests from real estate tax exemptions to fully disabled veterans or their families. 
• Accept the resignation of Humphrey Malama from the advisory board of Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities/Early Intervention, effective July 27. An update provided to commissioners noted that advisory board member Ashlee Homer changed her name to Ashlee Norman.
• Receive a second quarter update from county financial adviser STIFEL. 
• Approve the minutes of their Aug. 6 meeting and Aug. 19 executive session to discuss personnel matters. 

Next meeting

Lebanon County Commissioners meet at 9:30 a.m. on the first and third Thursday of the month in Room 207 of the county municipal building, 400 S. 8th St., Lebanon.

Full statement from Marcus Riddell:

Regarding the comment I made about the Palmyra fire chief during a public Borough Council meeting, I did make that comment during what was a contentious disagreement at the time. It was not the most professional choice of words, and I take responsibility for saying it. Since then, the fire chief and I have put that disagreement behind us. We have an amicable and professional working relationship today. We may not always agree on everything, but we are able to work together respectfully for the community we both serve, and I believe that is what matters.

As for my prior bad-check cases, I have never attempted to hide my past or pretend that I haven’t made mistakes in my life. Those matters are many years behind me, were addressed through the legal system, and I have had no similar issues since 2005. I learned from those mistakes, I grew from them, and in many ways those experiences helped shape the person I am today.

I’m also the proud father of a 14-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter. Becoming a father changed the way I look at life’s choices and the example I want to set. I try to teach my children that making a mistake does not relieve you of responsibility for it. You own it, learn from it, grow from it, and try to make better choices going forward. I believe I have spent the years since those mistakes doing exactly that.

I appreciate Register of Wills Brian Craig’s confidence in my qualifications and the commissioners who voted to approve my hiring. I’m grateful for the opportunity, and my focus now is on learning the position, working hard, and providing the residents of Lebanon County with the professional and respectful service they deserve.