GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) - Hall County is considering spending $600,000 to buy a temporary courthouse to use while it upgrades the heating and air-conditioning system at its current courthouse.
County supervisors will decide Tuesday whether to buy the former Workforce Development building in Grand Island from the city, The Grand Island Independent reported (https://bit.ly/1cdYcWN ).
The county used to co-own the building with the city, and it has been used for several different purposes over the years.
“It’s perfect for us,” said Hall County board chairwoman Pam Lancaster. There’s adequate space for five courtrooms and various offices, and it has 80 parking stalls and an attached garage that could work well for the secure transfer of inmates from the jail into courtrooms, Lancaster said.
The county looked at doing the renovations while continuing to use the courthouse, but contractors said doing that would double the cost of the project. The county project already is expected to cost $1 million for the upgrade of old and corroding pipes.
The city has spent about $1.2 million on the former Workforce Development building, said City Administrator Mary Lou Brown, and has collected about $800,000 in lease payments.
The building once housed Southern Public Power District. The city sold half of it to the county in 1999, but the county changed its mind about housing the Central District Health Department there, so the county sold its half back to the city in 2000.
The city then rented the building to the state Labor Department, which moved out in 2011.
Brown said that if the county goes ahead with the purchase, the city could combine the proceeds with other funds and build a fire station and backup 911 center.
County board chairwoman Lancaster said the county likely would sell the old Workforce Development building once the courthouse renovations and work on an addition are completed.
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Information from: The Grand Island Independent, https://www.theindependent.com
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