In April 9 Issue
By Derek Aaron
Times Journal Reporter

Jamestown City Hall held its community open house in its new location in the former Monin Pharmacy building last Friday with around 150 people taking advantage of the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the remodeled building, according to Mayor Brooks Bates. The city and its public works and utilities and police departments have called the facility home since last fall.

"Everything went real well and I believe most people were satisfied," Bates said. "We never heard a negative comment."

The mayor said most everyone in Jamestown could relate to the building when it was a pharmacy and doctor's office and that people were amazed at how much room the city had to its disposal after the remodel.

"We have a lot of space here," he said. "It is a very deceiving building."

Bates said the city was very fortunate that things fell into place like it did once they sold the land where the old city hall set to the county.

The city purchased the building to replace the now-razed City Hall building. The upcoming $12.5 million Russell County Judicial Center will occupy the spot where city hall used to be located.

The move of City Hall to the former Monin building, which was constructed in 1967,  gives the city's government around  2,500 more sq. feet to work with, according to Mike Hinton, owner of Hinton Builders, Inc. in Jamestown. Hinton and his workers did all the renovation and repair work to the new City Hall.

The former City Hall building on Monument Square has around 5,000 sq. feet while the new City Hall has around 7,500 sq. feet, including the building's basement, where the Jamestown Police Department is located.

Bates cited the obtaining of more space and more parking for City Hall as a plus for the county seat.

During the renovation process last summer Hinton said the building was in such good shape it was not too difficult to renovate and repair.

Bates said the the cost of the move was between $150,000 and $175,000.

There are eight offices in the building's rear for administration and engineering and the public works departments and up front there is a counter for paying water bills and receiving citizens. The city council chambers are directly behind that, Bates said.

The renovation included relocating doors, moving some walls, replacing flooring with "floating" tiles and lowering some of the building's ceiling.

Police Chief Mike Keaton has said he is pleased with the large amount of room that the police department now has at their new location.

The new office is much larger than the former one and the department now has an interview/interrogation room at their disposal. A large garage area is also located at the new location that can hold up to two police cruisers.