Williams, Cole speak about county, city goals in 2024 | Local News

The managers were each allotted 20 minutes to address the audience. Williams used his time to speak about projects in the Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan (ICIP).

One of the top priorities mentioned was the construction of a new public health building for state and local health programs. The nearly $7 million effort is something the county has already begun work on.

“We have our project designed. We have a piece of land purchased by the county,” Williams said.

The 10,000-square-foot facility will be in the 1600 block of South Garden Avenue on four acres the county has already bought.

Williams said staff at the Public Health Department, currently housed at 200 East Chisum St., contributed to the design to ensure the new building can meet their needs in providing state and local health services.

Currently, the Public Health Department and the County Cooperative Extension Office are in a building that was constructed in 1937.

Specifically, the current location of the Public Health Department is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

“We spent literally tens of thousands of dollars correcting things which still didn’t fix the building to be ADA-compliant,” he said.

The county is working to get a contractor for the construction. Williams said construction should ultimately take a year to complete.

He added that a modernized medical facility for local and state public health programs is an investment that will benefit the county for generations to come.

“That’s…