Russell County, Va., Finds Office Space In Former Shopping Center

LEBANON, Va. – As Washington County officials consider options for future office space, renovations for Russell County offices at an old shopping center are nearly finished.

"I think early April of this year we could say that we have basically finished it all," said Russell County Administrator Jim Gillespie. "Right now, we hope to get the parking lot and some other finishing touches done hopefully this summer."

Gillespie said the project cost of converting an empty Food City and Magic Mart shopping center into county office space, a conference center, a technology development center and space for industry, is about $8.5 million.

At just more than 100,000 square feet, the center is about half the size of Johnston Memorial Hospital, which Washington County officials are considering in Abingdon.

The Russell County project originated when officials were working with CGI in hopes of bringing the high-tech firm to the county. One requirement of the deal was more than 20,000 square feet of temporary space for the company to use.

With parking problems around the courthouse and a squeeze on office space there, Gillespie said the Board of Supervisors worked with the Industrial Development Authority to purchase the shopping center for both uses, at a cost of about $1.63 million.

"We never really considered going out and building a new building," Gillespie said.

"We were fortunate that we had a reusable building. ... We’ve been able to make use of some very valuable space, very valuable real estate here in the center of town to change where it was getting into a deteriorated state. ... We were able to get that and turn it around at a cost savings."

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