OTTAWA — The Franklin County Commission is looking at a proposal that would convert the old community college building at Second and Beech and move the sheriff’s department, county attorney’s office and juvenile detention administrative office from the courthouse into the building, which is next to the new juvenile detention center. The preliminary plan makes maximum use of the existing space to meet the departments’ present and future needs, said Dan Rowe of Treanor Architects, who has been working on the design. Rowe said he’s met with those officials and have tried to follow their suggestions in designing the plan. The building would have a central public lobby with bathrooms and the design provides efficient use of the interior, he said. Besides creating the interior offices, the project would have to make changes to the building, which include a new heating and air-conditioning system, replacing the roof and putting brick facing on the metal shell, he said. His preliminary estimate of repairing and converting the building is $2.4 million, but that could likely end up being lower depending on the extent of the repairs to the building, he said. Moving the offices from the courthouse complex would free up space at the jail and district court, which have had space issues, he said. Eventually, the sheriff’s office on the third floor of the jail would be converted to more cell space, he said. The space vacated by the county attorney’s office could be converted to a third courtroom and more secure entrances into the district court building, he said. County administrator Lisa Johnson said if commissioners like the idea they should consider combining bonds for the project with a planned $2 million bond issue to replace the courthouse’s heating and conditioning systems so the county will get better bids from buyers. Commissioners will vote on whether they want to consider issuing bonds at a special meeting of the public building commission, which is made up of county commissioners, on Nov. 14. Once they vote to express their intent to issue the bonds, citizens would have 30 days to file protest petitions to force a public vote on the proposed bond issue.
Wednesday, Oct. 6, 4 p.m.
