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Agency seeks $185,000 to reconfigure, repair office; commissioners asked to provide 15% match
Summary
An agency presented a plan to reconfigure office space, replace carpet with vinyl plank, and relocate Youth and Family Council to create more efficient intake and training areas at an estimated cost of $185,000; commissioners voted to proceed and were asked to provide a 15% match ($27,730), which staff said was a request, not a requirement.
An agency representative told Richland County commissioners that routine maintenance and a reconfiguration of its main building would cost about $185,000 and asked the board to consider a 15% local match of $27,730 to help pay for the work.
The request, made during the commissioners' regular meeting, seeks to replace threadbare carpeting that the presenter said leaves mold and mildew concerns after cleaning, repair crumbling base walls, and reconfigure interior spaces to consolidate the intake department, expand a training area and move the Youth and Family Council into a larger former IT area. "We've noticed... some walls that are crumbling a little bit around the base of the wall. Our carpeting has been down in the building for about 10 years... and there are big spots on the carpeting. It's threadbare in some areas," the agency representative said.
Why it matters: officials said the reconfiguration would reduce unused "dead space," bring intake staff together, and give Youth and Family Council a private office and meeting space. The presenter proposed replacing carpet with vinyl plank flooring to avoid recurring mold and mildew issues and said the agency has local funds that could cover the full cost if the commissioners do not provide the match.
Details offered to commissioners included: consolidating intake staff who screen applications and schedule appointments (the presenter said the intake unit previously staffed seven people, and is currently down several), creating a better private office and storage for Youth and Family Council (including its "TANF closet"), moving an IT department closer to administration and out of oversized space, and converting underused mail- and training-area space into functional training space.
On the finance question, the presenter said the 15% contribution is a request rather than a requirement and that the agency has the local funds to pay the full cost. "That is not a requirement. That is just a request to have the board of commissioners match it at 15%... We have the local funds within the agency to cover the whole cost," the agency representative said.
Commissioner comments and action: one commissioner who said he had walked the building and reviewed the plan recommended the county contribute the 15% match, citing efficiency and a desire to move quickly. He recommended the match amount at $27,730 and moved that the project proceed with commissioners contributing that amount from capital funds. Commissioners present voted in favor of the motion; audio of the meeting records affirmative responses from "Mr. Barrow" and "Mr. Banks" during the vote.
Next steps: the presenter and commissioners discussed scheduling and overtime work to complete the project quickly; no final construction schedule was provided at the meeting. Commissioners and staff noted that change orders are possible as work proceeds.
