Morgue construction costs remain a sticking point for Dougherty County Commission

Alan Mauldin, The Albany Herald, Ga.
Updated ·2 min read

Apr. 11—ALBANY — A week after a tour of the county's morgue, the Dougherty County Commission has revisited the topic of a project that has seen costs soar.

The county initially earmarked $414,000 in sales tax funds to pay for construction costs of the facility, but the current cost of building a stand-alone facility that includes office and records storage space, along with space for storing bodies, is $889,000.

The estimate presented to commissioners for the Monday meeting by Albany architect David Maschke also included furniture and morgue equipment costs that raise the total to $1.3 million.

The proposed construction site is on county-owned property located on Habersham Road, where there are other county facilities.

Inflation accounts for some of the cost increase, and some commissioners have suggested looking for an existing building to convert into a morgue, saving the costs for construction.

"I feel like we've got too much building here," Commissioner Ed Newsome said. "The county's obligated to basically furnish a functioning morgue. This goes a lot further than providing a functioning morgue

"I don't think we've done our homework enough to justify building this building."

Currently, the county rents morgue space at the Phoebe North facility located on Palmyra Road. During the tour of the building last week, commissioners saw the cramped conditions and heard that the stacked trays for bodies are problematic because heavy bodies are difficult to lift onto the higher levels.

In previous sessions, Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler, who currently uses office space in the Judicial Building downtown, has told commissioners the proposed morgue includes lobby space for families who come to view bodies.

"Most times, family members want to see their loved one," he told commissioners on Monday. "I think we need to have a place where it's decent. We're not looking out just for today. We're looking out for 30 years."

The county also is planning to move an additional judge, approved by the Georgia Legislature during the recently completed session, into the courthouse and needs space in that building, Commissioner Clinton Johnson said.

"Even though this cost is going toward the (high) range, we've got to consider the value of moving out of the courthouse," he said. "Americans are becoming heavier. You can barely lift bodies five or six spaces up, so he just needs more space."

The commission has not set a date for a vote on the project. However, Commission Chairman Lorenzo Heard said he is ready to have a decision.

"To keep kicking the can down the road doesn't make the can go away or make the can cheaper," he said. "There ain't no need in kicking the can anymore. Let's get this behind us."