TIOGA COUNTY, Pa. (WETM) — PennDOT has announced that the Keystone Welcome Center at
Tioga and the Tioga County Maintenance Office will be among several facilities in the region to close for renovations.

The Tioga County Maintenance Office in Wellsboro will close on Monday, Sept. 11. The Keystone Welcome Center on Route 15 southbound, seven miles south of the Pennsylvania and New York border, will close on Monday, Sept. 18. The welcome center’s entire facility and parking area will be closed.

Both of these buildings will be closed for an undetermined amount of time, and PennDOT will announce their reopening dates later on. Employees will work at alternate locations while these facilities are closed.

According to PennDOT, these buildings will be closed so that they can undergo significant energy efficiency upgrades and renovations as part of Guaranteed Energy Savings Act (GESA) projects. The renovations will include heating, air conditioning, ventilation, and lighting upgrades to help with the buildings’ energy efficiency and to cut down on future energy costs.

The Pennsylvania Department of General Services expects to spend about $219.7 million on 16 energy-saving projects across the commonwealth. These projects, which include the renovations to the Tioga County Maintenance Office and the Keystone Welcome Center, are expected to cause a minimum of $16.9 million in energy savings every year. These energy savings are equivalent to getting 7,600 cars off the road or planting 74,000 trees.