County staff put Carnegie Library annex on the table as possible home for county attorneys

County staff presented the Carnegie Library annex as an option for office space for county attorneys during the Jan. 28 budget work session, outlining lease and purchase scenarios and initial build-out and operating estimates.

County Attorney Brian (last name not specified) summarized the options and the business case. The property owner offered a five-year triple-net lease at $3,600 per month and a 10-year triple-net lease at $3,000 per month; a purchase-as-is option was quoted at $475,000. Brian said he expects substantial storage benefits for county operations if the facility were acquired, and he flagged IT infrastructure and build-out costs as key items.

Brian provided a planning-level estimate for renovations and IT work. He said an initial estimate for build-out and IT infrastructure was roughly $115,000 and that ongoing annual maintenance and operating costs were roughly $30,000 in the county’s analysis. He also said the current owner had replaced the roof in 2019 and the HVAC in 2018; county maintenance staff and the city’s building official reviewed the property and did not identify major structural defects beyond localized caulking/window work.

The nut graf: staff recommended the board consider the site as one option among others, noting the county has a budgeted $100,000 for a space study and that the Carnegie’s timing depends in part on when the current tenant completes its move. Brian asked the board if it wanted further study and suggested a short work session or site visits to develop the recommendation.

Ending: Board members said they would consider interviews, site visits and additional cost detail; no purchase or lease decision was made at the session.

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