Government Services Building on schedule for original estimate
By Bridget Cooke
bcooke@
themonroetimes.com
MONROE - Construction of Green County's new Government Services Building remains on track for completion in July, according to county officials.
Green County Clerk Mike Doyle announced during a meeting of the county board supervisors Dec. 12 the roof was halfway completed and the brick laying was to begin within a few days. At the beginning of February, the work was still on schedule.
"I wouldn't be very surprised if everything wasn't up and running by mid-August," Doyle said.
Work began on the $17-million building in May. The completion date was always slated for July of this year and should likely be completed within the first two weeks of the month.
Meant to house the Green County Health Department, Human Services Department, Veteran's Services Department, the information technology offices and newly created Human Resources, the building will be 58,000 square feet in total. Currently, county HR operates within the Pleasant View Nursing Home building.
Multipurpose rooms, similar to those in the University of Wisconsin-Extension department at the Green County Justice Center, will be installed in the lower level of the building. Both the health and human services departments will be housed on the first floor. The new building consolidates different departments that were previously operating in two separate buildings at the Pleasant View Complex.
Madison-based architectural firm Potter Lawson Inc. completed an assessment report in 2013 for the county which proposed a three-story building with 17,000 more square feet than the current buildings on the complex. Construction by Miron Construction Co. Inc. began after more than four years of planning by the county.
The current government services buildings, more than a century old, were identified as structurally problematic and lacking accessibility as well as stable energy efficiency.
Doyle said portions of the building were older than the historic Green County Courthouse in downtown Monroe, which was built in 1891.
Brick laying was delayed by roughly a week when Miron workers found some of the materials were the wrong size and would likely lead to inefficient masonry work, Doyle said. Other than that, delays have been minimal.
Though the building is set to be completed in early July, Doyle said steps will need to be taken to ensure the employees, roughly 65 to 85, are able to utilize the space. He said some materials, like files and other work will need to be transferred and furniture will need to be installed before work spaces can be inhabited.
Funding through borrowing was agreed upon by the county board in June 2016 for no more than $18,000 to pay for the construction and equipment of the new building and the demolition of the existing buildings. In July, the county approved $9.5 million in bonds be borrowed through Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. with an interest rate of 2.75 percent for the project. In 2016, the county had completed $3 million in general obligation bonds, and it plans to secure $5.5 million this year to fully finance the project.
By Bridget Cooke
bcooke@
themonroetimes.com
MONROE - Construction of Green County's new Government Services Building remains on track for completion in July, according to county officials.
Green County Clerk Mike Doyle announced during a meeting of the county board supervisors Dec. 12 the roof was halfway completed and the brick laying was to begin within a few days. At the beginning of February, the work was still on schedule.
"I wouldn't be very surprised if everything wasn't up and running by mid-August," Doyle said.
Work began on the $17-million building in May. The completion date was always slated for July of this year and should likely be completed within the first two weeks of the month.
Meant to house the Green County Health Department, Human Services Department, Veteran's Services Department, the information technology offices and newly created Human Resources, the building will be 58,000 square feet in total. Currently, county HR operates within the Pleasant View Nursing Home building.
Multipurpose rooms, similar to those in the University of Wisconsin-Extension department at the Green County Justice Center, will be installed in the lower level of the building. Both the health and human services departments will be housed on the first floor. The new building consolidates different departments that were previously operating in two separate buildings at the Pleasant View Complex.
Madison-based architectural firm Potter Lawson Inc. completed an assessment report in 2013 for the county which proposed a three-story building with 17,000 more square feet than the current buildings on the complex. Construction by Miron Construction Co. Inc. began after more than four years of planning by the county.
The current government services buildings, more than a century old, were identified as structurally problematic and lacking accessibility as well as stable energy efficiency.
Doyle said portions of the building were older than the historic Green County Courthouse in downtown Monroe, which was built in 1891.
Brick laying was delayed by roughly a week when Miron workers found some of the materials were the wrong size and would likely lead to inefficient masonry work, Doyle said. Other than that, delays have been minimal.
Though the building is set to be completed in early July, Doyle said steps will need to be taken to ensure the employees, roughly 65 to 85, are able to utilize the space. He said some materials, like files and other work will need to be transferred and furniture will need to be installed before work spaces can be inhabited.
Funding through borrowing was agreed upon by the county board in June 2016 for no more than $18,000 to pay for the construction and equipment of the new building and the demolition of the existing buildings. In July, the county approved $9.5 million in bonds be borrowed through Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. with an interest rate of 2.75 percent for the project. In 2016, the county had completed $3 million in general obligation bonds, and it plans to secure $5.5 million this year to fully finance the project.