Habersham County election officials had hoped to move into the new South Voting Precinct in Cornelia by the time municipal elections rolled around in November.
It appears that won’t happen.
Crews only recently started renovating the space, nearly one year into a 5-year lease on the building.
The county hired Soque Contracting Services, LLC, at the end of June to renovate the 8,500-square-foot former Sears store. County Facilities Management Director Mike Bramlett anticipates they’ll complete their work by the end of this year.
Once the major renovations are done, county employees will work on any minor issues that need to be addressed before opening. The goal, Bramlett says, is to have everything completed by February of next year so that the elections office can move in shortly after, in time for the 2024 elections.
Hiring a contractor
Earlier this year, Habersham County Commissioners discussed keeping the renovations in-house, using county employees to complete the project due to the high cost of hiring a contractor. However, on June 29, 2023, the county signed with Tim Canup, owner of Soque Contracting Services, LLC, of Toccoa.
The county paid Soque a $65,808 deposit and a $7,897 performance bond payment to proceed with renovations. The estimated total contract amount is $263,235.
“The county received two other estimates for the project that were over $1 million. Ridiculous!” says Habersham County Commission Chair Ty Akins.
5-year lease
The renovation costs are on top of the five-year lease the county signed with Ingles Markets to use the long-vacant space. Under the terms of that agreement, Habersham County paid $67,600 for the first year’s rent, which will increase annually by 3% over the term of the contract.
Under the terms of that lease agreement, Ingles demolished the interior, replaced the HVAC units, and repaired the roof of the building, which is located in the Habersham Shopping Center off Highway 441. Now that those projects are complete, Bramlett says the county can move forward with the renovations.
The county officially began renting the facility on December 1, 2022. The lease ends on November 30, 2027.
