(KNSI) – Benton County approved asking for bids from consulting firms to help renovate and build a new government center on the former high school site in Foley on Tuesday.
The county closed on the sale of the lot across from the current government center two weeks ago for $240,000. Benton County Administrator Monty Headley says buying the land gives the county more options.
“Up to this point, we’ve been primarily talking about renovations of existing buildings. But this gives us an opportunity to look at possibly new construction. Starting with a clean slate, so to speak.”
He says this is step one in the expansion plan. Headley says space issues have been a problem for years.
“We’ve been talking about space issues for quite a long time. We definitely need additional space. We need more modern, more efficient space.”
He says a new building will take care of the county’s needs for another generation.
“It does give us an opportunity to come up with solutions which meet Benton County’s space needs. Possibly for decades to come. And I think that’s an important point to make. We really want to try and prepare our county so it’s space needs are met for a long time.”
The department in the most need of space is Benton County Human Services. The offices are in the 1903 courthouse, which is too old to renovate cost-effectively. The parts built in the 1980s will be renovated and used.
___
Copyright 2022 Leighton Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be broadcast, published, redistributed, or rewritten, in any way without consent.
FOLLOW US FOR INSTANT UPDATES!
FOLLOW US FOR INSTANT UPDATES!