Davis, Clearfield OK project

FARMINGTON — It's too early to know how much a new health department building will cost Davis County. But officials say they've got a great deal by partnering with Clearfield.

Davis County commissioners approved an agreement with Clearfield to start planning a new health department building across State Street from Clearfield City Hall.

The 2.5 acres of land where the building could be located is owned by Clearfield's Community Development and Renewal Agency and is a staging area for construction crews repairing a bridge.

Clearfield city manager Chris Hillman said the new building would be a perfect anchor to that area of downtown Clearfield, which the city has designated as a redevelopment area.

Although exact costs will be determined during the planning phase, Hillman said he estimates the county will need about a 45,000-square-foot building.

The planning phase will give officials an idea of what it would cost to create office space for at least 121 employees and become a one-stop shop for the Davis County Health Department services of immunizations, WIC, a Midtown Community Health clinic and the county's Aging Services.

The average cost for Class A office space is about $150 per square foot, Hillman said, although this project could cost between $125 and $170 per square foot.

That would put construction costs in the $5.6 million to $7.6 million range, depending on what the two entities agree to build. The square footage could change depending on a variety of factors, too.

The building where the health department resides is a 37,400-square-foot converted sheriff's office and jail built in 1960.

It has suffered the plagues of aging buildings: malfunctioning heating and cooling systems, a flood from a broken toilet valve, a sagging roof on its companion building, and mold and groundwater leaks downstairs.

Health department director Lewis Garrett jokes that he doesn't dare inspect the building because he'd have to close it.

But seriously, he says, there aren't imminent risks to his employees' health, though their working conditions aren't ideal. Some offices don't have windows and no matter how much money the department sinks into heating and cooling systems, they never seem to work quite right, Garrett says.