Work is underway on new home for Options of Linn County, other county agencies

Crews building a new home for Options of Linn County and several other county agencies are taking advantage of a week or two of relatively dry weather.

“The rain we had in June and the first part of July might have caused some delays, but nothing significant,” said Garth Fagerbakke, the county's construction services manager.

Miron Construction of Cedar Rapids is the lead contractor on the $14.6 million project, funded with$5 million from the state I-JOBS program and disaster payments from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Besides Options, which provides jobs for about 170 county residents with developmental disabilities, the building will house Linn County Community Services, Veterans Affairs, and the county's information technology department. The two-story, 97,000-square-foot building is going up at the corner of 12th Street and 26th Avenue Court SW.

“It's a nice location for us,” said Jim Nagel, Options director. “It's right off the Interstate and off Wilson (Avenue SW). The design will streamline drop-offs and pickups for buses.”

Nagel said about 55 Options staffers will work at the building  supervising and assisting its clients, who do light assembly and similar work on contract for local businesses.

The former Options building, located at 1019 Seventh St. SE will be demolished.

“I think it's kind of undecided whether the board is going to hold the property or whether they're going to sell it,” said Fagerbakke.

As a FEMA-supported demolition project, the Seventh Street SE site must become green space if it remains publicly owned, Fagerbakke said.

Until the new building is finished – scheduled for late summer 2011 – its future tenant agencies are working out of offices at or connected to Westdale Mall.