Officials detail issues with City-County Building as proposals expected soon

Daniel Suddeath, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·3 min read

Oct. 22—FLOYD COUNTY — With specific proposals and pricetags to be unveiled as early as next month, officials again detailed some of the maintenance and structural problems with the City-County Building this week.

Tuesday marked the 61st anniversary of the opening of the City-County Building. It has served as a home for municipal and county administration offices over the past six decades as well as housing courts.

"It's been a great facility for the city and for county government for many years, but over the last 10 to 20 years, it's become a major challenge," said Scott Stewart, a member of the New Albany-Floyd County Building Authority board.

The Building Authority manages the property, though the county is the primary funding source and owner after City of New Albany offices were moved out of the facility last year. No plans have been approved by county officials, but proposals have focused on renovating the City-County Building into a judicial center and moving administration offices to a renovated North Annex off Grant Line Road. The site could include a mixed-use development with a library branch and a senior center.

Stewart and Building Authority Superintendent Chuck Edwards described some of the problems with the City-County Building to the Floyd County Commissioners on Tuesday.

Edwards said most of the building's systems, including electrical, plumbing and even the elevator, surpassed their "useful life" of 30 years.

"The existing HVAC control center is obsolete," Edwards said, as he added the cost to repair the system would be costly if even possible.

Portions of the facade are nearing failure, about half of the building's windows leak during heavy rains and some of the original bathrooms aren't compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act standards, Edwards said.

"I would estimate that if the renovation does not take place, an annual cost of $700,000 to $800,000 a year over the next 10 years will be needed to replace these systems I've discussed," he told the commissioners.

"With inflation, over 10 years, that cost could be $10 million to replace these systems."

While emphasizing the commissioners have worked with the Building Authority throughout the process and hold power over the ultimate decision, Stewart stressed that "doing nothing" isn't a viable option.

Stewart referenced other notable local infrastructure and government projects that were launched around the same time as the opening of the City-County Building. The Sherman Minton Bridge opened in 1963 and is undergoing a $90 million improvement effort. Riverview Tower is being torn down. Duke Energy is in the process of retiring Gallagher Station, which opened in 1958.

But the City-County Building hasn't undergone such major improvements or changes, Stewart said.

"There's a shelf life, and that day of reckoning has come for Floyd County government," he said.

Another idea that's been proposed is constructing a new structure on the City-County Building property.

The commissioners have signaled their approval for a project, though the exact route has yet to be determined. Stewart said the preliminary work — with private firms preparing plans for consideration based on needs and feedback from those who work in the offices and courts — is nearing completion.

"I would say we're in the top of the eighth inning and you'll be receiving information shortly," Stewart told the commissioners.

Georgetown resident Dale Mann said during the meeting that if put on a referendum, most Floyd County voters wouldn't back new construction for administration offices.

"I don't think anybody will disagree with redoing [the City-County Building]. I don't think anybody is going to agree with building a whole new building," Mann said.