EDITORIAL: County tackles office complex

Aiken County is looking at possibly sinking tens of millions of dollars into the existing County Office Complex on Richland Avenue. The County is asking firms to come up with designs for modernizing the current building and adding onto it to put all of the County's offices on the same campus.

Presently most County offices are located in the building that was constructed eight decades ago as the Aiken County Hospital. Some, however, are housed in rented offices on other sites, adding to the County's costs each month.

The proposed site of the old hospital is perfect from a geographical point of view. It is located on a main street not far from the center of the county seat and is easily accessible from all parts of Aiken County.

The building is currently not what an office complex should be for a county like ours. Roofing repairs, heat and air conditioning systems and overall physical improvement of entrances, hallways and office space are needed as well as improved parking and work on the grounds. Significant renovations to the existing structure as well as an addition to reach the square footage for the County's needs will have to be accomplished.

What remains to be seen is whether an effort to create a modern office building out of an 80-year-old structure is feasible. If the result will be a 21st-century facility that is appealing and accomplishes the goals of the County for a reasonable price, that is great. If, however, the County simply gets an 80-year-old building with millions of dollars sunk into it, that would be a mistake.

Aiken County Council has some pivotal decisions to make regarding the office complex. They are decisions that the Council and County residents will have to live with for the next 50 years.