New Whitley County Health Department planned for downtown Williamsburg

The Whitley County Board of Health took the first step Monday toward constructing a projected $4 to $5 million Health Department in downtown Williamsburg to replace the current facility, which is over 50 years old.

Members of the board voted unanimously to select Murphy and Graves Architects, of Lexington, as the firm that will design the new facility. Acting Board Chairman George Paul Rains said it was important to get an architectural firm on board early with the project to help with site selection and other planning.

"We don’t even have a site yet, but we need an architect to look at sites and tell us if they are halfway feasible," Rains said. "There’s all kinds of requirements for a building of this size. This will be a big building for Williamsburg."

Rains said board members are hoping to find at least a six-acre site, as near to downtown Williamsburg as possible on which to build to the new Health Department. It is expected to cost between $4 and $5 million. The Board of Health has enough money saved in reserve to pay for the entire project "without borrowing a dime," Rains said.

"We have it. We’ve been saving for this for years," he said.

Whitley County Judge-Executive Pat White Jr., who serves on the board and was a member of the Building Committee that selected Murphy and Graves, said the firm has agreed to accept a six percent fee for the project. Normally, architectural firms require seven percent of the total project cost.

White and Rains were on the committee along with Dr. Lee Durham and Dr. Daniel Whitley. All are members of the Board of Health.

Rains said he is confident terms of a contract can be reached with Murphy and Graves. If not, the board approved a measure to allow negotiations to take place with the committee’s second choice of firms.

The board received four proposals for architectural services on the project. Only two companies were interviewed.

Gail Timperio, Director of Public Health for Whitley County, said a new facility is badly needed. The Health Department has occupied its current facility, on courthouse square, since about 1956. It has received two additions, and also operates some programs from a nearby home.

"It’s a very necessary project as far as being able to respond to the future needs of the county," Timperio said. "If we were better situated and had more space, we could apply for more grants and maybe have a community kitchen. There’s a lot we could do."

Timperio said layout and space restrictions with the current Health Department building make it difficult to comply with federal health privacy laws. Also, she said it is often chaotic with nurses and other employees working in very close proximity to one another.

When she transferred to Whitley County from the Knox County Health Department in 1985, Timperio said the department had about 35 employees and a budget of $500,000. Now, the department has over 100 employees and a budget of around $7 million.

"Based on information we’ve received from the state and federal government about the future of health departments, we feel like we need this," Rains said.

Officials hope the project can be completed in two years. Rains said he feels one of the main holdups might be finding a site with utilities in place capable of servicing a new Health Department that is so sizable.

Murphy and Graves Architects have also designed the new Whitley County Judicial Center, currently under construction, and the new Williamsburg City Hall.