Fresno County (KMJ/KFSN) — The Fresno County Board of Supervisors is inching closer to finding a new building to replace the current Hall of Records.
“This building, while it might be historic, you know, is, as I said, nearly 90 years old,” said Fresno County Supervisor Garry Bredefeld.
Bredefeld, who is just weeks into his new position as a county supervisor, led the conversation during Tuesday’s meeting.
“There are many security issues. People who come here have actually been stuck in the elevators,” said Bredefeld.
“In the summer, the building gets hot. In the winter, the building gets cold.”
Supervisor Nathan Magsig adds the building’s plumbing and electrical components are old, and when they break, they must special order replacement parts.
“It’s actually two buildings. The first half was built in 1935, and the half that we’re in was built in the 1950s,” explained Magsig.
“You look outside, it looks like one building, but it’s actually two that were glued together,”
Over the years, the Board of Supervisors has put money away for renovations; however, time has proven that this is not the best option.
“Can we vacate this building and completely remodel it? We’ve come to the conclusion we can’t even do that,” said Fresno County Supervisor Buddy Mendes.
“Because that other building is different, it has columns in the middle, so, structurally, that wasn’t gonna work.”
The board wants to coordinate with the construction of a new County courthouse.
The state is funding the $25 million project.
Supervisors Magsig and Pacheco are on the committee discussing the new county building.
The two supervisors will return to the board in the next 30 days to discuss new location options, costs, and a timeline for when they can start construction on a new county building.
