The work to build a new county services building began in Livingston this week.
County Executive Ben Danner said crews finished demolishing the old Republican headquarters building on Tuesday.
“We’re kind of picking through stuff. It was a Confederate hospital in the 1860’s and was burnt when the Yankees came through,” Danner said. There’s some logs underneath that we are saving to give to the historical society.”
“I’m looking forward to the first of the year when we can get started and bid out our project and maybe start construction on the new building,” Danner said.
The county received a donation to fund part of the $4.9 million building. The county will pay for the remaining cost through a capitol outlay note.
“Millard Oakley was generous enough to donate $2 million towards this project, so without his help we would have never got this project to start with,” Danner said. “That really helped to get almost half of the money from a donor like that.”
The old Livingston hospital serves as the current county services building, but Danner said it’s beyond repair.
“We have an unreal electric bill every month where all the electricity goes out everywhere and we don’t have hot water, heat, or air in different parts of the building,” Danner said. “it’s also not handicap accessible.”
Danner said construction on the new building will likely start sometime in March with a completion date set for 2020.