Okaloosa County is considering bundling its next three major construction projects into one financing deal to get a cheaper loan rate.
Commissioners voted Tuesday to move forward on the demolition and replacement of the courthouse annex in Shalimar, construction of an addition to the Sheriff’s Office complex in Shalimar and significant renovation to the county courthouse in Crestview.
Officials expect to get started on the projects in the coming year.
Facilities Maintenance Director Don Turner estimated the three projects could be financed for “$20 million plus or minus 25 percent.”
He recommended the county put all three projects under one financing umbrella.
“In discussion with the county’s financial advisers, they are telling us we can get more favorable financial terms by moving these projects forward together and making a common funding decision,” Turner told commissioners.
The demolition and replacement of the Shalimar annex and the addition to the Sheriff’s Office are closely related. The new two-story, 10,000-square-foot Sheriff’s Office building is needed to house the civil processing, warrants, and central communications divisions now at the annex. The investigations division, which leases space, also will move in and save the county about $126,000 in annual rent.
The renovation of the courthouse in Crestview is long overdue, Turner said.
“It’s been 50 years since the last time that a square foot has been added to that building,” he said.
The aging building, which was built in 1953 and last expanded in the 1962, needs repairs, expansion and further compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari C. Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.