Hall Co. officials break ground on new Sheriff's office HQ

GAINESVILLE - Hall County officials broke ground Thursday afternoon on a new sheriff's office headquarters on Browns Bridge Road.<br /> <br /> The building, which is being built ahead of schedule, will be located next to the Hall County Government Center and funded by SPLOST VI, which was approved by voters in 2008.<br /> <br /> Sheriff Gerald Couch said the old facility is bursting at the seams. "With the new precincts, it puts us out in to those communities. But we needed a new headquarters because the City of Gainesville bought our facility," he said.<br /> <br /> "So with that, I knew we had to immediately start looking in to finding a new center. So [next to the government center] was a logical choice, the most cost effective... and provides a great deal of room for growth."<br /> <br /> Couch also said the new facility will be "state of the art" and have the latest energy efficient features. "It will provide for many, many years of growth. Well beyond our current needs."<br /> <br /> Couch added that he personally felt the Sheriff's Office needed to make a lasting impression. "Being a tax payer here and living here all my life, I have seen us build new buildings that were outdated in 10 or 12 years and I wanted to make sure we made one that lasted at least 25 or 30 or more years."<br /> <br /> Deputy Chad Mann said both deputies and citizens will benefit from the new headquarters.<br /> <br /> "The special part for our citizens is that it will be more close in proximity to everyone inside the county," said Mann. "It's more centrally located, but then again it's also in the county area, so you don't have to go all the way into the city to make a report, or retrieve your property... it's going to have an impound lot, we're going to have investigators, we're going to have the same community service office, so when you want to reach out to us, we're more accessible to you."<br /> <br /> This will be the central precinct for the Sheriff's Office, with two other offices in Clermont and Braselton. <br /> <br /> Couch said they expect to move in at the end of this year, or by early 2016.<br />