Two days after Habersham County turned 200, officials dedicated its new administration building.
Outgoing Habersham County Commission Chair Victor Anderson noted the significance of the timing. “That’s two-hundreds years of history. Two-hundred years of work. Two-hundred years of pride in this area and we hope that this building is here for decades to come and that our citizens can enjoy it and look to it as a symbol of what Habersham County is about.”
About 75 guests attended the ceremony, including county commissioners, department heads, dignitaries, and members of the community. The wind was a bit blustery but it was an otherwise perfect day for an outdoor ceremony; a nice reprieve from the bad weather that has plagued many recent local events.
Anderson applauded those who’ve worked on the project, including past county commissions. Commissioners have been planning the administration building since the new courthouse was built in 2013. “The various commissions have put a lot of thought and a lot of work into the design of the building,” he said.
The roughly 28,000 square foot facility is located at 130 Jacob’s Way in Clarkesville. It sits right next to the county recreation department off of Highway 17. When the county broke ground on the building last November, construction was already underway. The building’s still not complete.
“It’s not quite as far as we’d hoped to be at this point,” Anderson told those gathered, “but weather just has not cooperated with any construction projects this year.”
When it is finished, the building will provide the closest thing to a “one-stop shop” the county has had since the tax office moved out of the old county courthouse.
“It’s designed to consolidate all of the county offices with the exception of our public services, our recreation center which is just adjacent to us, animal control, building maintenance, and just a few other items,” said Anderson.
The building was dedicated in honor of Habersham County’s bicentennial year.
“This building belongs to the citizens of Habersham County,” said Anderson. “Each and every person in this county owns a part of this building and it will be here for their service for decades to come.” He concluded by saying, “We hope the planning that has gone in, we hope that the effort and the discussions that we’ve had the last several years all shine forward in this building and it’s a good representation of the citizens of Habersham County.”
Outgoing commissioners honored
Anderson got a little emotional as his part of the ceremony drew to a close noting that this would be his next to last official duty as a county commissioner. “My decision not to run for reelection was a really easy decision at the first of the year,” he said, “but it’s tougher to walk away from it than I thought.”
Andrea Harper is also leaving the commission at the end of this year. She, too, chose not to seek reelection.
Harper served as a county commissioner for eight years. Anderson served four.
Fellow county commissioners honored them with praise and plaques. The gathering then moved outdoors for a formal Masonic cornerstone dedication ceremony.
Habersham County 4-H club members also participated in the 45-minute long dedication on December 17. They sang the national anthem, led the pledge of allegiance, and served refreshments they baked for the occasion.
County officials expect to start moving into the new administration building in March 2019.
