This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Farmington • The center of this stately old town, currently home to most of Davis County's government services, will experience a major makeover in the next 18 months.
And officials believe the $20 million rebuild will ultimately translate into better service for residents of the state's third most populous county.
"The way that citizens interact with departments will be much more friendly and conducive," Commissioner Bret Millburn said of the planned layout, which features a new library connected to a new administration building.
Parking is scarce outside the old main-branch library at 38 S. 100 East, which dates to 1964. And inside, staff frequently rearrange the adult area to accommodate 45 children for story-time sessions.
"We'll have a dedicated space for that purpose" in the new structure, to be built on nearby land at 125 S. Main, said Davis County Library Director Chris Sanford.
The new library will also expand the number of Internet-connected computers from four to 10, and will provide inviting nooks for clients to sit and tap into the facility's wireless connection using their laptops.
"Our patrons are taking advantage of that amenity in all our branches," Sanford said, "and we hope to expand on that by creating interesting seating spaces."
"The new building will be functional," still serving as the receiving site for all materials coming into the county's seven branches, Sanford said, "but very attractive — a community-gathering place where people will want to come and visit."
Land earmarked for the new library is occupied by the Children's Justice Center (CJC), which is housed in an old home built in 1896 and added onto three times to accommodate its present use.
Services housed in that 4,000-square-foot structure — meant to provide a safe and comforting environment for children being interviewed about alleged abuse — will move east when construction is complete on the new 8,000-square-foot center next summer.
"I will miss the old place, it served us well," with its walls witnessing an average of 400 cases each year, said CJC Director Doug Miller. "We're losing some character, but the new facility will be much more functional."
The new structure — much of it flanked by large windows looking out on a courtyard — will include sound-proofed interview rooms and a large meeting area for weekly sessions between prosecutors, victim advocates and other stakeholders.
However, no work can begin on the new Children's Justice Center until existing old health buildings nearby are torn down.
That demolition will occur after a health facility in Clearfield is finished in October and those services relocate to that northern Davis County city.
Discussions have continued for several years, Millburn said, about how to upgrade the county's aging facilities to be energy-efficient, seismically safe and fully compliant with the American Disabilities Act.
The majestic old courthouse at 28 E. State St. dates to the early 1930s, with rear portions added in 1957 and 1978, expanding the multi-department structure to 81,000 square feet.
The new three-story administration building will be built to the south, attaching to the new single-story library by shared auditorium/meeting space in between.
During election season, that meeting space will host training sessions and can also serve as a polling location, Millburn said.
Once finished — the target date is April 2012 — rear portions of the old courthouse can be demolished at some future time, Millburn said.
"We're not seeking LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] certification," Millburn said of the new administration/library facility, "but a lot of those philosophies are being designed into it."
One such component includes a ground loop geothermal system that taps the earth's temperatures to heat and cool the building.
"Our goal is to keep the building functional and affordable," Millburn said. "We're being very judicious in the use of space."
Current construction conditions opened the door to forge ahead on the ambitious project, said Clerk/Auditor Steve Rawlings.
"We were able to take advantage of very good zone-recovery bonds," Rawlings said, "which puts our library and main campus construction on track."
Davis County campus renovation
The overhaul rearranges the use of land bounded by State and Main streets, 100 East and 200 South.
• A new 71,000-square-foot, three-story administration building will be connected to the new 17,000-square-foot, single-story Main Library by 6,500 square feet of public meeting space.
• The new administration/library facilities should be finished by April 2012.
• The estimated cost is $20 million.
• New Children's Justice Center doubles in size from 4,000 to 8,000 square feet, moves east and should open by summer 2011.
• Oldest portion of County Courthouse on State Street to likely receive seismic upgrades and remain intact, while rear two-thirds could come down.