Commissioners approve new administration building deal

The Alleghany County Board of Commissioners agreed on a 4-1 vote to move forward with a project to construct a new Alleghany County Administration Building.

The lone dissenting vote was cast by Commissioner Ken Richardson, who was not involved in the discussions on the new building or the courthouse prior to beginning his term in office in early December. The county also approved borrowing $1.45 million to pay for the project, contingent on approval by the Local Government Commission. The loan from BB&T, the low bidder, offers a 3.89 percent interest rate over the life of the loan.

County Manager Don Adams went through a history of the project, including the earliest discussions going back to Dec. 15, 2003, with a presentation.

The county received renovation bids for the former Cash and Carry Building on Dec. 20, 2004, with Donald Neal Construction Company Inc. of Charlotte giving the low bid of $1,111,768 for the construction work, not including wiring or telephones.

The county already approved work to the building’s basement wall at a cost of $127,332. That work is nearing completion.

Architectural fees for the project were budgeted at $101,000, while the remaining $109,900 was set aside for miscellaneous and contingency costs. Adams said those funds would be used to fund wiring the building and installing the telephone system, as well as paying for any unforeseen costs. Adams earlier said he thought about a 6 percent contingency would be available after other costs were included, amounting to about $66,700.

Frank Randel of Hemphill and Associates of Charlotte is the project architect. Randel also designed the Alleghany County Health Department and the building that houses the Blue Ridge Business Development Center.

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