The biggest headlines for the Champaign County Board this past month were on approving the purchase of the County Plaza building for additional County office space. The discussion during the County Board meeting itself, even by supporters, warned of the financial risks and work that would come along with the purchase. From the News-Gazette coverage of the approval vote:
On Thursday night, the county board approved the purchase of the downtown Urbana building for $2 million in a 16-5 vote.
After the sale closes, an estimated $18 million worth of work will need to be put into the building before county offices move in, Kloeppel said.
Included in that tentative estimate will be fixing the building’s leaking roof, updating its mechanicals and making accessibility changes along with remodeling for various county departments that will be moving in, she said.
That full article here. There was additional information from earlier News-Gazette coverage on the proposed purchase:
The County Plaza building is about 88,000 square feet and has five stories plus a basement, Kloeppel said. Efforts to buy it were primarily prompted by the need for a new space for the sheriff’s office, currently at 204 E. Main St., she said.
That building, which also houses one of the county’s jails, is deteriorating. The county board has already approved a $20.4 million plan to relocate the jail to the satellite facility at 502 S. Lierman Ave. and build an addition there.
There are other county offices, among them the public defender, which also need room to expand, and the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission has also indicated it needs more room, Kloeppel said.
That full article here. WCIA had a preview blurb on the County Plaza vote here and a follow up blurb after the vote here.
Other County Board news:
- District 6 County Board member and Garden Hills resident Samantha Carter contributed to the News-Gazettes ongoing conversation on local gun violence.
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