Schuylkill County Children & Youth Services and the Election Bureau will be moving into the former Empire Beauty School across the street.
After weeks of discussion, the county commissioners decided Wednesday the two county departments will be moved.
"There were a lot of things we had to consider," commissioners Chairman Frank J. Staudenmeier said after a public meeting Wednesday.
The county acquired the 0.46-acre property at 324 N. Centre St., Pottsville, in January 2012 after exercising the power of eminent domain, the right of a government to take private property for public use. The building cost $455,000 for the building while the parking lot on Second Street was $200,000 and the adjacent lot was $85,000. Funding came from a $21 million bond the commissioners issued in October 2012.
The Empire Beauty School moved out of the city in November 2012 after renovations were completed at the Empire Education Group headquarters near the Fairlane Village mall in East Norwegian Township.
The 21,000-square-foot property has three floors, including a basement, and was recently emptied out for about $18,000.
Staudenmeier said Children & Youth needed the space, while moving the election bureau will clear up room to bring other agencies into the Human Services building. Both departments are currently housed in Human Services at 420 N. Centre St.
The plan is to move the Drug and Alcohol and Mental Health and Developmental Services departments, which are currently located at 108 S. Claude A. Lord Boulevard, and the office of Magisterial District Judge James K. Reiley at 200 N. Centre St., to the vacant spots in the Human Service building.
The goal is to have the departments in the new location by the end of the year, Staudenmeier said. The building still needs a new roof, elevator and a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
The commissioners approved the termination of the contract with Attorney Christopher W. Hobbs and his law office as solicitor for the Schuylkill County Zoning Hearing board and accepted the resignation of Eric Seitzinger as a member of the same board. Hobbs was recently appointed as an assistant district attorney to fill the vacancy left by newly-elected District Attorney Christine A. Holman.
The county is looking for bids on two demolition projects. The first project is for 911 Brock St., Ashland. That property was recently acquired by the borough through a repository sale.
The other project is for a row of properties and a few vacant lots from 106 to 118 W. Main St., Girardville.
Bids are due in the controller's office by March 3 and will be opened on March 5. A tentative award date is set for March 12.