County considers moving health department staff into Midland Bank space to reduce construction phasing costs; rent may double

Boone County staff briefed the committee on options to reduce construction phasing costs by relocating records and potentially parts of the Health Department from the courthouse basement to leased space at Midland Bank.

Becky said county departments have nearly completed moving storage from the courthouse basement to Midland and that Mac Relocation quoted $7,725 to move items back to the courthouse when needed. She said the county had discussed whether temporarily relocating environmental health and clinical staff to Midland could eliminate some phasing and temporary-work costs associated with the courthouse and health department projects.

Midland Bank told the county it would raise the monthly rent from $1,500 to $3,000 if the space were used for staffed offices rather than storage; Becky said the $3,000 equates to roughly $10 per square foot, a rate Midland described as still low compared with market rent. Amanda from the health department told the committee she and department staff had begun discussing the logistics and grant implications of a temporary relocation and that environmental services would be easier to move than clinical services because some clinical programs have state-level restrictions.

Committee members asked about the offset between extra rent and potential construction savings; staff said that calculation required more detailed cost analysis and that a decision about relocation could be made in June. Becky said priority one was to move remaining stored items back to the courthouse so cleaning and construction access could proceed, and that the county would continue researching alternatives, including other buildings if Midland proved unsuitable for clinical operations.