All non-court related county offices will be closed for three days next week and may only be partially opened later in the week as departments relocate to the new administration building.
Final touches are being completed on the $6.5-million building project this week in preparation for the move.
Construction on the county’s new 36,670-square-foot, two-story building has been ongoing since October 2010. The new county facility is located along Highway 47 and Mockingbird Lane in Warrenton.
Last month, the emergency management agency relocated to the administration building to fulfill grant requirements. That office, located in the basement, had to be in the new facility by March 31.
In addition, the other county offices that will be closed next week include the health department, assessor, collector, planning and zoning, sanitarian, surveyor, county commission, county clerk, treasurer and recorder of deeds.
Those county offices will be closed Monday, April 30, through Wednesday, May 2. Some offices may be partially opened to the public on Thursday, May 3, and Friday, May 4.
“Some may be open, some may not depending on packing and getting set up,” Presiding Commissioner Arden Engelage said. “Some will try to be open. They can maybe wait on customers in between packing. We will have to play it by ear. We would like to be up Thursday.”
Commissioners said they would not be in session Monday or Tuesday during the move. They urged county residents to complete any business that requires visits to county offices this Thursday or Friday so that delays could be avoided next week.
Some of those issues include obtaining a paid tax receipt from the county collector or needing records from the health department.
“We hope it doesn’t create too much of an inconvenience,” Engelage said. “We want everyone to be patient with us and hopefully we can be open as quick as possible.”
An open house has tentatively been scheduled for Thursday, June 14. As part of the event, the public will be invited to tour the new administration building.
The building project is being funded out of the county’s capital improvement fund. Two grants totaling $227,745 are covering expenses to construct and outfit the emergency management agency portion of the new building. Commissioners have said the new county facility was necessary to alleviate crowding at the courthouse and to provide space for an additional courtroom.
All of the court-related offices, such as the sheriff’s department and prosecutor, will remain at the county courthouse.
Once the non-court related offices are finished moving, renovations to the courthouse are expected to begin. County officials plan on having a jail dorm constructed to house work release prisoners and the area where the commission chambers and county clerk’s office is located will be transformed into a third courtroom.
