Supervisors direct staff to pursue new county building; committee will report back within 30 days

Fresno County supervisors on Jan. 28 directed county administration to pursue planning for a new county administrative building and board chambers, and asked a board subcommittee to return with site and financing options within about 30 days.

The action follows repeated remarks by Supervisors that the existing Hall of Records and adjoining offices are deteriorating and poorly suited to modern public access and safety needs. Supervisor Reiser Bredefield, who moved the item, said the complex is “antiquated,” noting original plumbing and electrical systems and that “the building gets cold in the winter. It’s hot in the summer.”

The board’s nut graf: supervisors said the county has set aside about $40 million for new facilities but that number likely will…