Board of Health to make a presentation to the county supervisors

The Washington County Board of Health (BOH) is relaunching its efforts to find a permanent home for the public health department. During the board's monthly meeting on Sept. 11, the board finalized details of its visit with the Washington County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, Sept. 16.

The search for a permanent home began in December 2006, when the department left the former nurses' home on the Washington County Hospital and Clinics campus. The department has rented space in various buildings in Washington since then.

"We'd like to bring Brad Lang back down to review some of the options with us," Danielle Pettit-Majewski said.

Lang of Solum-Lang Architects in Cedar Rapids has worked on the project since 2008.

"He's got all the facts and fiqures," Steve Olson, a member of the BOH Building and Finance Committee, said. "It will take him no time to get a number to us on these options that we're exploring."

The BOH also approved reconvening the Building and Finance Committee. The members are: Olson, Jim Rosien, Virginia Bordwell, Jack Seward Jr., Terry Philips, Peggy Wood, Karri Fisher, and Pettit-Majewski.

The BOH will ask the board of supervisors to approve a budget amendment which will free up about $100,000 for the project.

"If there's any discussion (at Tuesday's meeting), we're going to say that moving that (money) to the capital projects is an expression of intent by the board of supervisors to support the building project that is in the planning stages," Bordwell, chairman of the BOH, said.

Pettit-Majewski said that if the request is granted, the project would require a public hearing. The public hearing could be posted Sept. 25, and held as soon as Oct. 7.