Floyd County leaders consider possible uses for North Annex building

Brooke McAfee, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·5 min read

Jan. 27—NEW ALBANY — Floyd County leaders are considering the possibility of partnering with local agencies and developers for a mixed-use facility that could house government offices and other services, including a potential library branch and senior center.

As county officials look to the future of government offices in the county, a public-private partnership for the Floyd County North Annex is among the options on the table. The Floyd County Commissioners and the New Albany-Floyd County Building Authority are considering using the property for the county's administrative offices.

The commissioners and building authority issued a request for information (RFI) on Dec. 17 to seek conceptual proposals from possible partners in the private sector for the "Floyd County Government & Life Center." The Floyd County Library and LifeSpan Resources have both presented proposals for use of the space.

The possible uses for the annex were discussed at a Wednesday roundtable featuring county leaders, local agencies and potential developers.

Floyd County owns the 17-acre annex property at 3005 Grant Line Road near Sam Peden Community Park. The facility has been vacant since 2013, and the site is unused except for Floyd County Solid Waste operations. The original building was constructed in 1878 and served as the "county poor house" until a fire destroyed much of the structure. The existing structure was built in 1916.

Scott Stewart, board member for the building authority, said the annex has been in "failing condition," and it could possibly be "leveraged as an improvement opportunity not only for county government, but also for the quality of life for our county."

"It really can be something more than a building that houses county taxing and administrative functions," he said.

Most Floyd County government offices are split between Pine View Government Center and the City-County Building. If offices are moved to the annex, county officials would convert the City-County Building into a judicial center, and Pine View would no longer be needed for government operations.

If the North Annex was used for the government center, it would house government offices such as auditor, treasurer, recorder, assessor, surveyor, commissioners, council and more. The RFI suggests the use of 33,000 square feet for the office space.

According to Stewart, conceptual proposals from interested private sector partners are due Jan. 31. The building authority is looking for proposals related to the design, financing, construction and renovation of the North Annex property.

A committee composed of representatives from the commissioners, building authority, county council, county government operations and community members will review the RFIs. The building authority and commissioners hope to proceed with the request for quote (RFQ) and request for proposal (RFP) stage in the spring of this year and select a partner or partners by June 30.

Stewart said one of the challenges is determining the financing of such an endeavor, and the county is seeking ideas through the RFI process for ways the private sector could support the project.

"Under a public partnership, the county could leverage the value of that land while reducing the costs to the Floyd County taxpayer [to use the building for a government center]," Stewart said.

BRANCH LIBRARY

The Floyd County Library is proposing a branch of the library that would take up 10,000 square feet of the North Annex facility, which would be similar to the Galena Digital Library.

Sandra Fortner, assistant director of library support services, said the library has had "tremendous success" with the Galena branch, and a branch at the North Annex building could offer even more opportunities.

A branch at the North Annex could allow the library to partner with LifeSpan to offer programming for seniors, including computer classes. The proximity to a bus line would help them "serve the underserved community we're not able to reach where we are at this time," Fortner said.

The adjacent Sam Peden Community Park would also present opportunities for programming, including story time for children in the park, she said.

"We would be very excited to be part of this," Fortner said.

SENIOR CENTER

LifeSpan Resources is proposing a "state-of-the-art" senior center of at least 20,000 square feet at the North Annex facility. This would include a senior-friendly fitness center, art studio, travel program area, dining hall, event, therapy areas and pickleball courts.

The Southern Indiana nonprofit supports seniors with a variety of services to help with independent living and "allow them to stay in their home as long as possible," including case management and delivered meals, according to LifeSpan CEO Lora Clark.

The center would focus on "the eight dimensions of wellness," including physical, emotional, social, intellectual, financial and spiritual health, as well as environmental and vocational needs, she said. It would offer services such as shared meals, classes, book clubs and caregiver supports."

"We're hoping this will bring a new vibrant center to New Albany — sort of like what the YMCA did," Clark said.

The RFI also outlines possibilities for the North Annex property. It could feature a coffee/snack shop, classrooms/multi-purpose meeting space, enhancements to Sam Peden Community Park and a garden memorializing the site's history. The property could also house complimentary development separate from the main building, which could include office space, commercial/retail space or a restaurant(s).

The North Annex would allow for possible additions to the existing building, which would not be an option with the City-County Building in downtown New Albany, according to Stewart.

The Floyd County Commissioners expressed their enthusiasm for the potential public-private partnership. Shawn Carruthers, president of the commissioners, said the project "could change our community in a great way."

Floyd County Commissioner Tim Kamer said he's been "nerding out about these projects for a while.

"We're trying to make a pretty large imprint on the community with three big projects and getting input, because the three of us are definitely not construction guys, we're not creatives, so having a lot of input in making this decision is really exciting," he said.