The decision comes after months of deliberation and speculation over where the best location should be for the county's new administrative headquarters. The county will pay $500,069 - or $3.50 per square foot - to purchase the 3.28-acre tract owned by Steven R. and Janette L. Shaw and Luella J. Shaw. The site is located between Warrenton Wesleyan Church and Pitman Funeral Home on the east side of Highway 47. County officials estimate the government building will cost $6,780,051, including land acquisition and construction costs. Commissioners said locating the new building on the site was the least expensive option for taxpayers. "We feel it will be very visible," Presiding Commissioner Arden Engelage said. "A good site hopefully to help the city of Warrenton be attractive and bring in new businesses. It will be within a good commute for us and have room to grow. It also opens parking in downtown." The other two sites the commission considered were properties behind the current courthouse facility on land already owned by the county and a 4.5-acre parcel in the Brune Office Park, located just across the highway where the new building will be constructed. The Brune Office Park was listed at $784,080 or $4 per square foot according to commissioners. Tuesday's announcement was made in the commission's chambers with many elected and non-elected county officials in attendance. The new facility is expected to house the commission chambers, county clerk's office, health department and offices for the collector, assessor and treasurer. The prosecutor's office and sheriff's department will remain in the existing courthouse. Southern District Commissioner Hubie Kluesner and Northern District Commissioner Dan Hampson, who took office in January, raised the issue of the site selection of the new building in their campaigns. Kluesner said Tuesday he had a small concern that constructing in the downtown area might hinder a planned expansion project by the Warren County Historical Society. He also said he talked to county officials throughout the state who had made similar decisions to separate county offices and found no issues. "We hope it is the right decision," Kluesner said. "I know any decision was going to be controversial. The beauty of it is we (discussed) our opinions back and forth and we all have agreed on this." Hampson said he preferred the downtown area early on, but changed his mind after reviewing the site survey and considering other factors. "If you project us out, this entire complex is going to take up this entire block," Hampson said about the current courthouse facility. "We have room for expansion. If you take a look at buying properties and tearing them down, there are lot of what-ifs. It was overwhelming to me that it needed to go there." The estimated cost to construct the facility at the Brune Office Park area was $7,064,063 and preliminary figures to build at the downtown location was $7,153,293, according to commissioners. The two-story administration building is estimated to cost $4,420,000 which includes a basement. Tuesday also marked the first time county officials released a previously commissioned site survey to the public. The survey used 25 different criteria including traffic congestion, available utility services and cost to rank and score all three properties. Brune Office Park ranked first with 131 points, followed by Mockingbird Lane (128) and the downtown site (91 points). "Price-wise, nothing is a bargain in this economy, but we think it's as good of a bargain as you're going to find," Kluesner said. The commissioners' decision is expected to be met with some resistance from county employees and area residents who lobbied to keep the new building downtown. Many business owners and residents voiced concern about the impact on businesses in the downtown area if the administrative building was built elsewhere. Warren County Associate Circuit Judge Wes Dalton said he had concerns on how the various county offices will interact on a daily basis if they are separated. "I know the way the title companies work and lawyers needing to get to different offices," Dalton said. "I'm sure in the long run it will resolve itself, but initially it's going to cause some real logistical issues with trying to get down here to get judgments and to go out there to see the assessor and collector. That happens every day." Jerri Jordan, circuit clerk and recorder of deeds, also expressed concern about the distance between county offices. However, she told commissioners she would support their decision and welcomed the extra office space the new building would afford. "I'm sure it was a difficult decision and I believe you all did your homework," Jordan said. Gene Cornell, county treasurer, also expressed his satisfaction in the location and the price the county will pay for the property. "That top of the hill is definitely an advantage, visibilty-wise, landscape-wise," he said. Engelage said moving the administration building out of the downtown area would relieve traffic congestion. The Mockingbird Lane site is expected to provide 104 parking places, compared to 45 on-site spots figured in the downtown site. He pointed out that an additional 59 parking spots were needed at the downtown area, according to the new building's square footage. The preliminary cost summary on the downtown site also mentioned 110 off-site parking spaces. When asked about the possible impact on the downtown businesses, Kluesner told The Record "There are some downtown businesses that say they don't have room for patrons to park." The commissioners said they have a 60-day period before closing on the property. When asked how long it would take for the new building to be open, Kluesner estimated it would take around 18 months for construction to be completed. He noted that only minimal preliminary design work has been completed so far.