HCC reconsidering sale of Liberty Mutual building

GAINESVILLE - Hall County may be keeping the Liberty Mutual buidling, after all.

The county purchased it in August 2010 with plans to move a number of county offices into it but in the midst of an $11 million budget shortfall earlier this year, county officials said they had decided to sell the building.

Now, according to county spokeswoman Nikki Young, commissioners are likely to vote Thursday on architectural drawings for the renovation of the building at the corner of McEver and Browns Bridge roads.

Young Tuesday also released a timeline and other information regarding the building and grounds and the plans the county has for it:

Property info
• 2875 Browns Bridge Road, at the corner of Browns Bridge Road and McEver Road, former Liberty Mutual Building
• Property is in the Gainesville city limits and 3.75 miles from downtown
• 33 acres
• Building constructed in 1982
• 118,767 square feet of usable space, 5 stories, furnishings included
• 525 parking spaces
• Purchase price: $6.1 million (SPLOST VI funding)
• Renovation cost (estimated): $2.9 million

Purposes
• To consolidate county functions into a one-stop shop to increase convenience for customers
• Increase efficiency for staff
• Save money by relocating county offices that are currently in leased space, and reduce operational costs overall
• Provide the Hall County Courthouse with much-needed additional space in the Courthouse Annex
• Fulfill SPLOST VI obligation to voters, who in March 2009 approved $17 million for renovation of old courthouse and relocation of administration offices

Cost savings
• Operational Costs approximately $175,000
• County Office Space Rental $87,000+

Departments moving to new building
• Commission and Administration
• Tax Commissioner/Tax Assessor
• Elections
• Business License
• Finance/Purchasing
• Human Resources
• Planning/Engineering/Building Inspections/Environmental Health
• Marshals
• Commission Meeting Space

Timeline
• August 2010: Commissioners purchased the Liberty Mutual Building for $6.1 million
• January 2011: County retained architect to perform space planning and design layout; architect’s first budget came in very high
• May 2011: Hired Construction Management Team for budgeting assistance, value engineering ideas, and bidding actual renovations. Reduced budget to one-third of original.