MONROE - Green County supervisors got a first look at plans for a new $17 million government services building Tuesday.
A new building is needed to replace the current government services buildings, which are 51 and 128 years old and "have outlived their lives," Ron Locast of Potter Lawson Architects told the county board. Among the buildings' problems are structural concerns, such as the facade separating from the newer building, allowing water damage. Other concerns are aged mechanical systems; little energy efficiency; and areas where accessibility is limited for those with mobility problems.
Security has also become an issue, Locast said. Currently, visitors can walk through the building without being monitored. For buildings that include health and human services departments, a more secure facility is becoming the norm, he said.
Work on an assessment report began in 2013 to analyze the existing facilities and space needs. The current buildings come in at about 37,000 to 40,000 square feet, Locast estimated. The conceptual model for the new building would clock in at about 55,000 to 57,000 square feet - enough of an increase to accommodate growth for the next decade.
"We like to plan for about 10 years out," Locast said.
That size would put it about the same as the Green County Justice Center. The building would also include about 5,000 square feet of storage area that could be finished off in the future.
The Madison firm's concept for the building includes a three-story building that would remain near the Pleasant View Nursing Home. Government services are currently housed just north of the nursing home; the plan calls for a new building constructed south of the nursing home, closer to Wisconsin 81. Visitors would access the building by the same drive as is used now.
The building would include two at-grade levels. The health, human services and aging and disability resource departments would be located on the ground floor, and the latter two would include covered entrances for easier drop-offs. The upper level would include the mental health, alcohol and other drug, community support and children, youth and families departments. Each floor would include a waiting room and secured hallways so visitors could not roam the building freely.
The lower level would be an exposed basement. Veterans services, data services and a space for a dental partner would be housed there. It would also include a community room and a separate parking lot.
The total cost, including demolition of the existing buildings, architectural fees, construction and furnishings, is estimated at $17,250, 000, Locast said. That would include 57,000 square feet of finished space with an additional 5,600 of shell space. There would be 250 parking spots between the upper and lower lots.
The committee would like to be breaking ground on the project next spring, with the building enclosed by fall 2017 so work can continue through the winter months.
The project is still in the hands of the building committee. In order to meet that timeline, however, the committee will need to keep the project moving along and the county board will need to commit to building in the near future, County Clerk Mike Doyle said.
A new building is needed to replace the current government services buildings, which are 51 and 128 years old and "have outlived their lives," Ron Locast of Potter Lawson Architects told the county board. Among the buildings' problems are structural concerns, such as the facade separating from the newer building, allowing water damage. Other concerns are aged mechanical systems; little energy efficiency; and areas where accessibility is limited for those with mobility problems.
Security has also become an issue, Locast said. Currently, visitors can walk through the building without being monitored. For buildings that include health and human services departments, a more secure facility is becoming the norm, he said.
Work on an assessment report began in 2013 to analyze the existing facilities and space needs. The current buildings come in at about 37,000 to 40,000 square feet, Locast estimated. The conceptual model for the new building would clock in at about 55,000 to 57,000 square feet - enough of an increase to accommodate growth for the next decade.
"We like to plan for about 10 years out," Locast said.
That size would put it about the same as the Green County Justice Center. The building would also include about 5,000 square feet of storage area that could be finished off in the future.
The Madison firm's concept for the building includes a three-story building that would remain near the Pleasant View Nursing Home. Government services are currently housed just north of the nursing home; the plan calls for a new building constructed south of the nursing home, closer to Wisconsin 81. Visitors would access the building by the same drive as is used now.
The building would include two at-grade levels. The health, human services and aging and disability resource departments would be located on the ground floor, and the latter two would include covered entrances for easier drop-offs. The upper level would include the mental health, alcohol and other drug, community support and children, youth and families departments. Each floor would include a waiting room and secured hallways so visitors could not roam the building freely.
The lower level would be an exposed basement. Veterans services, data services and a space for a dental partner would be housed there. It would also include a community room and a separate parking lot.
The total cost, including demolition of the existing buildings, architectural fees, construction and furnishings, is estimated at $17,250, 000, Locast said. That would include 57,000 square feet of finished space with an additional 5,600 of shell space. There would be 250 parking spots between the upper and lower lots.
The committee would like to be breaking ground on the project next spring, with the building enclosed by fall 2017 so work can continue through the winter months.
The project is still in the hands of the building committee. In order to meet that timeline, however, the committee will need to keep the project moving along and the county board will need to commit to building in the near future, County Clerk Mike Doyle said.