JACKSON TWP — The township recently hit a landmark in the renovation of its municipal building as employees and officials were allowed to go back inside.

After operating out of a trailer in the building’s parking lot for several months, the township was granted a temporary certificate of occupancy this past week, township manager Chris Rearick said.

The municipal building on Magill Road is undergoing a $1.8 million expansion and renovation which includes a new home for the police department.

The township supervisors anticipate the building will be ready for full occupancy by the end of June or early July.

The decision to move the police was partly out of necessity as the supervisors anticipate the current police headquarters, which is in a privately owned building that they rent on Route 19, will be sold.

That building is also inadequate for the needs of the department, Supervisor Jay Grinnell said.

“That building does not work as a police station,” he said.

The new station will have more standard amenities for the department including a garage for its cars, a holding cell, an evidence room, an interview room and better safety and security measures, Grinnell said.

The renovation project also has allowed the township to repair a building that had a leaky roof, little insulation, rust and other issues.

“We’re planning for the future. The township is growing, and we have to have a facility that grows with it,” Supervisor Ron Lutz said.