Kings County unveils $41.4 million plan to refurbish vacant campus buildings for health, workforce and county services
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Summary
Deputy CEO Matthew Boyette presented renderings and a $41.4 million budget to renovate three vacant county buildings for HR, job training, public health and other county services; the board discussed funding, timelines and next steps and department heads expressed support.
Kings County administrators presented a space‑planning proposal Dec. 16 to refurbish three vacant former courthouse buildings on the county campus and return county services to the central campus.
Deputy CEO Matthew Boyette walked the board through floor plans and renderings for Buildings A, B and C, saying the ‘‘grand total…is the $41,400,000’’ to demolish selected site elements, renovate three buildings and outfit offices. The project scope presented placed human resources, the Job Training Office and Public Guardian/Veterans Services in Building A; Buildings B and C were designated primarily for Public Health (WIC, nursing, environmental health, a placeholder for a lab) and a countywide multipurpose room. Boyette said construction costs were roughly $33.8 million, with furniture and equipment estimated at about $3.5 million and contingencies and fees making up the remainder.
Funding and schedule: Staff said they had identified about $10.5 million in upfront funds (including roughly $5 million identified from Public Health), expected to finance $30–31 million with debt, and planned to return in January for detailed public finance options from their advisors. Boyette outlined a projected timeline that would include financing decisions and a potential groundbreaking in late 2026 or early 2027, with anticipated completion in late 2028 or early 2029, while cautioning that large projects carry schedule risk.
Board and department response: Supervisors asked about cost escalation, space usage for staff and the disposition of other off‑campus buildings; staff said those were future phases. Department heads from Job Training Office, Public Health, Human Resources and others described constraints in their current leased or outdated spaces and expressed support for consolidating services on campus. Public Works and architects described traffic and site‑access considerations and noted the project will be taken through standard public‑works oversight and permitting.
Why it matters: County leaders said bringing services together will reduce lease costs, improve client access to one‑stop services and put long‑vacant county property back into productive use. The board asked finance staff to return with funding options and a menu of alternatives for debt terms and phasing in January.