MONROE - Plans to build a new Government Services Building could be a long way off with a $13 million price tag attached to construction.
The Pleasant View Complex Planning Committee hosted a meeting Thursday, Jan. 30 where they came to no concrete decisions about constructing a new building or deciding what to do with the old building that now houses the health and human services departments.
Ron Locast of Potter Lawson, an architect firm in Madison, came to the meeting with a ballpark figure for construction costs based on the amount of square feet the different organizations put forth. The total space required would amount to just under 60,000 square feet, and based on a standard figure for outlying costs such as phones and office supplies, Locast calculated that the construction of a mid-level quality building would run about $13.3 million. No funds have yet been allocated since the building is still in the idea phase.
To really get the project rolling a referendum needs to be passed in August which would allow for plans to get under way. Until then, health and human services will still be housed in the old building.
Initial plans will call for a three-story building southeast of the Pleasant View Nursing Home. The bottom two levels would be occupied by the veteran's services department and Information Technologies. Health and human services would occupy the top level with separate entrances from the bottom levels. The floor-plans are tentative at best, since the Green County Committee needs to be comfortable with the idea of spending more than $13 million on a new building.
Greg Holcomb, director of Green County Human Services, said he needs more space and has been forced to convert old bathrooms into office spaces.
"I'm not saying we need a brand, spanking new building," he said. But Holcomb added that the building they work in now does not provide the proper security or confidentiality his clients and employees require. He said they also have problems with air conditioning and heating.
RoAnn Warden, head of Green County Health Department, said she has reached out for federal aid and grant money to help ease the cost of a new building, but nothing has been garnered yet.
The current Government Services Building appears crowded and has many cracks in the foundation and walls. There will need to be a consensus on whether or not to improve the current building or just tear it down. The price of demolition was not included in the cost Locast put forth.
"It's easy to say we can stay here forever, but I don't know if the building will last," Holcomb said.
The Pleasant View Complex Planning Committee hosted a meeting Thursday, Jan. 30 where they came to no concrete decisions about constructing a new building or deciding what to do with the old building that now houses the health and human services departments.
Ron Locast of Potter Lawson, an architect firm in Madison, came to the meeting with a ballpark figure for construction costs based on the amount of square feet the different organizations put forth. The total space required would amount to just under 60,000 square feet, and based on a standard figure for outlying costs such as phones and office supplies, Locast calculated that the construction of a mid-level quality building would run about $13.3 million. No funds have yet been allocated since the building is still in the idea phase.
To really get the project rolling a referendum needs to be passed in August which would allow for plans to get under way. Until then, health and human services will still be housed in the old building.
Initial plans will call for a three-story building southeast of the Pleasant View Nursing Home. The bottom two levels would be occupied by the veteran's services department and Information Technologies. Health and human services would occupy the top level with separate entrances from the bottom levels. The floor-plans are tentative at best, since the Green County Committee needs to be comfortable with the idea of spending more than $13 million on a new building.
Greg Holcomb, director of Green County Human Services, said he needs more space and has been forced to convert old bathrooms into office spaces.
"I'm not saying we need a brand, spanking new building," he said. But Holcomb added that the building they work in now does not provide the proper security or confidentiality his clients and employees require. He said they also have problems with air conditioning and heating.
RoAnn Warden, head of Green County Health Department, said she has reached out for federal aid and grant money to help ease the cost of a new building, but nothing has been garnered yet.
The current Government Services Building appears crowded and has many cracks in the foundation and walls. There will need to be a consensus on whether or not to improve the current building or just tear it down. The price of demolition was not included in the cost Locast put forth.
"It's easy to say we can stay here forever, but I don't know if the building will last," Holcomb said.