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Gainesville, Hall County unsure about office buildings futures
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As a move for the Hall County government is both ongoing and imminent, plans for the building jointly owned by the county and the Gainesville government aren’t as clear.But it is very possible that the currently aptly named Joint Administration Building at 300 Henry Ward Way will soon just belong to the city.Gainesville and Hall County have, for more than three decades, shared space in the three-story downtown building.Each year since 1977, at least, they’ve divided the annual costs for upkeep and utility bills based on each government’s use of the building. Last year, the county’s share was a little less than 49.5 percent, said Gainesville’s Administrative Services Coordinator Melody Marlowe.The percentage equaled about $83,544 in county costs, Assistant Hall County Administrator Marty Nix said.The agreement is supposed to last until 2017 or until the governments mutually agree to terminate it.With Hall County setting up shop on Browns Bridge Road, the latter is more likely.Hall County officials have, for months, been orchestrating a move of headquarters from various buildings in Gainesville to a sole building on the corner of Browns Bridge and McEver roads.The building, purchased from Liberty Mutual for $6.1 million in 2010, contains about 97,000 square feet of office space that county officials spent about $2.9 million renovating to fit their needs.Until this week, Hall County’s engineering department was housed in the Joint Administration building. The offices of tax commissioner and tax assessor are also located in the building until at least mid-October.But as they make the split, officials from both governments say they’re trying to work out an agreement that’s mutually beneficial.