The Floyd County Government is eyeing a potential public-private partnership for a new government center.
The New Albany Floyd County Building Authority is assisting the county with plans to overhaul its government facilities. Those plans could include relocating administrative services to a new location at the North Annex property on Grant Line Road.
Last month, the building authority put out a request for information (RFI) from private developers. Building authority board member Scott Stewart said the goal is to gather creative ideas for the site.
“What we're betting on is that the private sector can come up with an idea, or two or three, that says it's possible to provide needed public services, but at [the same time] create a community center experience,” he said.
The deadline for the RFI is Jan. 31.
Stewart said service providers in the community have reached out to the county government about partnering at the Grant Line Road location. The Floyd County Library and LifeSpan, which serves senior citizens and people with disabilities, have both expressed interest.
“There are lots of options that progressive governments should consider in terms of how they provide a service,” Stewart said. “So is it possible to have such a facility at this location on Grant Line Road that would be one part county government center, but one part community center?”
Floyd County’s search for a new administrative center is just one of three parts of the government’s restructuring plan. The county is in the process of renovating the City-County Building into a judicial center, now that New Albany has opened its new City Hall. Officials are also considering new locations for the health department, which is currently located at the Baptist Floyd Health hospital campus.
John Boyle is a corps member with Report For America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. John's coverage of Southern Indiana is funded, in part, by the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County, Community Foundation of Southern Indiana and Samtec, Inc.
