Commissioners approve renovations for Board of Elections building

The Tattnall County Board of Elections office is getting a face lift.

The renovation of the Board of Elections Office has been on the table for the Board of Commissioners for several years and budgeted to have as little impact on the county budget as possible. After setting aside SPLOST funds for several years, mostly from the approval of the 2014 funds, the county is ready to move forward.

The county sought bids from three different construction companies and awarded the contract to the lowest bidder. The first number indicates the  bid for the entire project, the second with the cost of the porch depicted in the photo NOT included. The Board of Commissioners opted to go with the entire project, meaning only the first number was considered.

• Attaway Construction — $154,308 and $139,000 without porch
• Graham’s Construction – $75,690 and $56,690 without porch
• Lynn Construction – $99,561 and $85,001 without porch

The project will be paid for entirely with SPLOST funds, however, the county also has roughly $8,500 in FEMA funds from Hurricane Matthew that will be applied to the cost of the renovation.

Commissioner Thompson made the motion to accept the bid of Graham’s Construction, which was seconded by Commissioner Tatum. The motion was approved unanimously.

The outside of the building is where the majority of the work will be done, however, the roof is of greatest concern as it has not been replaced in several years.

History of the Board of Elections Home

When the Tattnall County Board of Elections was established in 2001, the office operated out of trailer in the back of a parking lot. After seven years, officials decided that the county could no longer operate the elections office out of such a small space and decided to move the department into the old health department building where it still stands today. The building is dated, with some features going back to 1956.