County Considers New Annex Building Proposal

Stephens County Commissioners, taking into account the current and expected growth in Stephens County and acknowledging the space limitations currently experienced at the Stephens County Government Building, where courtrooms are often overcrowded and court officials state that scheduling for the increasing number of trials is sometimes challenging, have taken the first steps in putting a solution in motion with. 

During the Board’s January 24 Annual Planning Session, Commissioners spoke about research and preliminary planning that has been conducted to construct a new Stephen County Government Annex building in Downtown Toccoa – a discussion that will continue at a county Buildings and Grounds committee meeting later this week. 

WNEG News sat down with Stephens County Board of Commissioners Vice Chair Chris Rickman and Board Member Chuck Wright – both of whom serve on the Buildings and Grounds Committee – to talk about the proposal.

Rickman said the subject of a new Annex Building has been under discussion for more than a year, and said that it became apparent that the site of the old Stephens County Annex Building, located across Tugalo Street from the Stephens County Historic Courthouse, would be the optimal location for the new building. 

He said they have met several times with the design firm and are working to specify more details about the proposed building. 

Rickman talked about the motivation behind the county considering taking on this proposed project. 

Wright added that the county’s judicial system’s need for more space is a definite priority for the county.

Wright talked about the plans for other county-owned buildings if the plans for the new annex move forward, including the Historic Courthouse and the Tabor Building.

He said plans would include the selling of the Tabor Building.

He said the plan would be to also sell the old WNEG Radio Station building at 802 E. Doyle Street currently used for the County Administrator, Building Department and Marshall’s Office as well as other smaller county departments. 

Rickman talked about what offices are currently being considered to move into the new annex, if approved, including a new Commission Chamber and a drive through feature for the Tax Commissioner’s Office.  

Rickman also detailed some of the discussion about the old annex building.

He talked about design specifics that have been discussed for the proposed new Annex

In addressing the cost of the project, he said there is not yet a firm price.

Next, they talked about how the construction project would be funded.

Rickman talked about a rough timeline and what comes next in the consideration of the project.

Rickman touched briefly on the issue of parking in connection with the proposed project.

Wright added that a significant benefit of creating a new, space-adequate County Annex where all county offices are located, will provide a much more citizen-friendly and convenient option for residents.

Wright said that serving on the Buildings and Grounds Committee with Rickman meant working through sometimes differing priorities and viewpoints to come to solutions that respect not only the county’s needs, but safeguarding taxpayer dollars.

Both Rickman and Wright stressed that Commission Board Members are available for discussion with community members regarding the proposal, and are very interested in the citizens’ thoughts.