OGDEN -- A 27,000-square-foot annex is planned for Weber-Morgan Health Department, but the department still has a few hurdles to clear.
Director Gary House presented the annex proposal Monday to the board of health. The health department has a design from Logan-based firm Architectural Nexus and is a few days away from hearing final presentations from potential construction managers/ general contractors.
House said the project must come in at or under budget, $2.7 million at most.
The annex will be paid for through the fund balance, House said.
But the annex and a proposed Ogden city parking garage would overlap by about 50 feet. Ogden is keeping mum about its plans.
Terrence Bride, Ogden senior project coordinator, refused comment on the city's stance on the annex or the status of the parking garage, except to say the project is still in negotiations.
The county approved a $4 million bond for a 250-stall parking garage in April, but commissioners made sure they were not approving the construction of the parking structure because of the possibility of the annex.
At the time, Bride said the city and county were negotiating the land issue and the city couldn't build anything until it has county approval.
House told the board the city was made aware of the annex plans, but after being notified had offered no comment and hadn't taken action on the garage for several months.
"There has been little or no dialogue from the city," he said.
Although the land is owned by the county, the city still has to approve construction. If they are not allowed the extra 50 feet from the overlap, House said, it will increase construction costs significantly.
Power, phone and data hookups already are available in that area, but if the building can't use the full space, the county would have to pay to move those utilities, he said.
House said they will move forward with the annex, and officials are optimistic about getting the land.
If everything goes smoothly, they hope to begin construction in late October.
While the annex has been in the plan all along, House said they would like to build it sooner than anticipated to take advantage of low construction costs and because their programs, especially Women, Infants and Children, have seen a large increase in use during the recession.
The building's three stories would each be just less than 9,000 square feet. It would be located on county-owned property directly west of the health department.
"That should provide for future growth for at least 15 years," House said.
The WIC program would move into one floor of the building, and the other two floors would become occupied as the health department grows.
Comments