Columbia County approves bid to renovate former Evans Health Department building

Columbia County commissioners approved a nearly $200,000 bid Tuesday to renovate the former Evans Health Department building.

Once complete, possibly by June, the building off Ronald Reagan Drive likely will become the shared office for Columbia County’s Chamber of Commerce, Development Authority and Convention and Visitors Bureau.

County Administrator Scott Johnson said each organization already has signed a letter of intent to lease space in the building for $16 per square foot. However, Johnson said lease agreements have not yet been executed.

Augusta-based RCN Contracting won the more than $195,000 bid to renovate the building that once housed the Health Department, which also had offices in Appling and Grovetown.

In July, the Health Department opened a centralized location on William Few Parkway. The 22,000-square-foot building was part of a $6.3 million Health Department and Animal Services complex.

Also at the meeting, commissioners allocated $115,000 in 2006-10 1-percent sales tax interest for the renovation project.