GREENFIELD — Renovation of the building at 233 E. Main St., also known as the old community corrections building, is set to begin toward the end of this month, according to a conversation held at the Hancock County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday.
After months of working together, Justin Nicol, the lead manager in the project, presented a construction budget to the commissioners for their approval.
The project includes renovations to the building, which is being used as the new prosecutor’s office and where the staff currently works after being displaced from their old building on American Place after discovering mold in late 2022.
Nicol said at the meeting that within the budget it was important to note that some costs were estimated from the bids they received but wanted to receive approval to proceed based on the information they currently had.
Nicol also made a point to mention at the Jan. 2 meeting that the builders risk insurance was excluded from the budget and would be added at a later time once they had received the quotes.
According to the construction budget document, with the exclusion of the builders risk insurance, the construction budget showed that the trade cost total would be $3,264,256.
Bill Spalding, president of the commissioners, said that after a conversation he had with Nicol on Jan. 5, the estimate for the amount received that day was reasonable.
As of Jan. 5, Spalding said there is not yet an estimated completion date.
“If we look to approve on the 16th, we are probably looking at the 22nd to start then,” said Nicol at the meeting.
Brent Eaton, Hancock County prosecutor, said that the staff had a brief meeting Jan. 4 to finalize some details for the project such as carpeting.
Eaton said that it has been difficult for the office for the past year and a few months, but his office is hopeful to get the project started so they can move along.
Eaton said that despite issues and inconveniences, the people in the office have maintained things, moving along appropriately, and that their professionalism and effort during the time is outstanding.
According to layout plans handed out at a commissioners meeting last summer, the community corrections building will have the prosecutor’s proposed floor plan split into a phase A and B, and once the first phase is finished, they’ll relocate to the other side to allow total construction to complete.
Spalding said that the building at 223 E Main St was built in 2003 and that there is still life and with remodeling the building, it would cost less than to build a brand new building.
Those in community corrections will relocate to the former jail, which Spalding said is set to start accepting bids for construction, having them in before Jan. 25.
For the construction budget, two motions were made — the first being the acceptance of the budget itself, which passed 3-0, and then the second motion to give authority to Spalding to execute the builders risk insurance documents after they are reviewed by all the commissioner’s via email, which passed 3-0.
The next commissioners meeting is set to be held 8 a.m. Jan. 16, when they will vote on the budget with the added changes.
