Commissioners visited more than half-a-dozen sites last week to study their advantages and disadvantages. The sites ranged from the 0.9-acre lot at Walton and East streets behind the Warren County Courthouse to several other in-town locations, two possible locations in Brune Business Park south of town and one site adjacent to the Truesdale Industrial Park. "Each site has certain merits," said Presiding Commissioner Arden Engelage. "Each has some argument for consideration. Our job is to determine which one would best suit our needs." Commissioners say they will need a minimum of 1.4 acres to accommodate the anticipated footprint of the building, which will be around 12-15,000 square feet. At this time, the commissioners appear to favor construction of a two-story administration building with a walkout basement serving as a third level. The commissioners have said they would like a 35,000-square-foot building that could be expanded. The expected cost of the facility will range roughly from $6-8 million. Engelage said he would like to speed up the search for property. "Now is obviously a great time to acquire property and seek bids for construction," he said. "And our architect (Treanor Architects) is also ready to go with design. We hope to be able to give them the go-ahead as soon as we can." The commissioners said they have not reached a firm decision on building in the downtown area near the courthouse or further south along Highway 47. "We're studying all our options," said Southern District Commissioner Randy Lewis. The potential sites they visited last week included a nearly 5-acre tract at the intersection of Pinckney Street and Celia Lane just off Highway U, a nearly 20-acre tract opposite Rebecca Boone Elementary School and two sites at Brune Business Park. If they choose the location off Highway U, the commissioners said the size of the lot would allow plenty of room for future expansion of the administration building. Part of the property is in a floodplain, but Lewis said that area could be used for a parking lot. "It could be an economic advantage," Engelage added. "It's very close to downtown." The site near Rebecca Boone Elementary, located on Pinckney Road, is adjacent to the Truesdale Industrial Park. The property is owned by the city of Warrenton. "A good location, near the downtown district," summarized Engelage. "It has plenty of land, but would depend on how much property the city would sell us." The downside of that location, according to the commissioners, is the property is not situated along Highway 47, and thus might not provide the visibility they are seeking. Visibility would not be an issue if the commissioners elected to locate their building in the front, northernmost corner of Brune Industrial Park, they said. The commissioners looked at a site of 4-5 acres. "We would have excellent access to Highway 47 and be within a mile of downtown," noted Engelage. "And there is plenty of room on this lot for future expansion." "It's a very professional site," added Lewis. The commissioners also studied a 4-acre lot at the rear of Brune Park. "We would certainly expect to have a final decision before the end of August," said Engelage, "and hopefully well before then. "Now is an opportune time to get bids out to contractors," he added.