The new Lexington City Hall is nearing the end of its renovation process.
Mayor Craig Snow said the new location — which is the same building as the old county probation office — should be done with renovations soon, complete with an all-new parking lot.
“It’s definitely a step up from what we had,” he said. “The room up front for our council meeting — if we have citizens come in that want to be a part of the meetings — it’ll just be a much bigger space. It’s just nicer looking, and the fact that we have heating and air will be great.”
The new parking lot will be primarily gravel, though Snow said a smaller, wheel-chair accessible concrete lot will be added for those who might have trouble moving over the gravel.
The only holdup with the renovated city hall is the plumbing. Snow said they’ve added a HVAC system, a fresh paint job and a few small repairs around the office.
Snow said Lexington needed a new City Hall for a number of reasons, though plumbing and heating were at the top of the list. The previous building will be used as a storage unit for the water department, Snow said.
“We’re happy to come to a close on this so we can get (city clerk Kim Bradford) moved into her new office,” city council member Ronnie Boggs said. “We’re excited about it as a council.”
Boggs estimated the entire renovation process — both the parking lot and the upgrades to the building — cost around $16,000. He said they received several bids from contractors interested in installing the new parking lot, and the best figure came in at around $6,100.
Moreover, Boggs said the decision to move City Hall to a new location was partially a financial choice.
Adding a bathroom, heating and air and any other necessary additions to the old building would’ve run around $125,000, Boggs said. By choosing a new location, they upgraded the city hall situation and saved money at the same time.
“We gained a lot, and spent a whole lot less,” Boggs said.