Construction is nearly finished on the new Jefferson County Health Department building at 1515 Peach Tree Plaza in Hillsboro, and it is set to open in June.
Executive Director Steve Sikes announced on April 24 that tentative plans call for the Health Department to close the current office between June 2 and June 4 so staff members can move everything to the new one. Then, if all goes well, the new Hillsboro office will open to the public on June 5.
“(Our Arnold office) would still operate the whole time,” Sikes said. “We would still provide services to the community during those three days that we’re closed here.”
Sikes cautioned that the moving dates could be changed to the following week.
“It’s already been pushed back once, and it may happen again,” he said, adding that Health Department officials should know for sure over the next two weeks.
A dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for noon June 18 with an open house planned for the public on a date to be determined in July.
Sikes said on April 24 that the construction punch lists for the new Hillsboro office have been completed and a “significant list” of needed corrections was sent to the general contractor, Brockmiller Construction of Farmington.
“But the building looks really, really good,” Sikes said. “It’s just much better than what we have here (now). There are some things they need to fix, and they are working on it.”
Work began on the 19,957-square-foot, one-story building in January 2024. The project cost $9.7 million, including construction and design costs and other related costs. The department purchased 7.75 acres of land for the new building in February 2021 for $762,953.40.
Sikes said the IT infrastructure equipment is being installed at the new Hillsboro office, and furniture is tentatively scheduled to arrive beginning on May 13 and installation should take about two weeks.
“The problem we have is we’re also waiting on the parking lot to be done,” he said. “Once the parking lot starts, everything else is going to have to stop because they’re not going to be able to drive down through there and get on the new asphalt. It’s kind of a juggling act right now of when things are going to happen. Hopefully, everything will work out, but the rain is hurting the asphalt installation.”
Health Department officials have said the new building was designed to meet all the department’s needs. The current facility, which the department plans to sell after the move, is 70 years old and is only 9,810 square feet.
The new facility will have a clinical area with several exam rooms; a drive-up testing laboratory; blood draw stations; a large conference room for board meetings, training and events; designated parking for the agency’s mobile health care units and more.