All non-judicial offices from the overcrowded Knox County Courthouse could relocate to a nearby former downtown Galesburg bank by next spring.
Jared Hawkinson, chairman of the Knox County Board, tells WGIL he’s hopeful the offices of county clerk, recorder, collector and treasurer, in addition to assessor, will operate out of the former former Wells Fargo Bank building at 50 E. Main St. “sometime in the second quarter of 2025.”
Knox County announced in December its intentions to purchase the former bank building to alleviate overcrowding in the Knox County Courthouse. It eventually purchased the unoccupied property for $850,000 on July 1 from “F” Street, LLC, a California Limited Liability Company.
The purchase was financed with American Rescue Plan Act funds, and continuing lease payments from Wells Fargo, according to Hawkinson.
Lease buyout negotiation complete
Hawkinson previously told WGIL he envisioned the county could move into to the 50 E. Main St. property by late summer 2024, however the project stalled during lease buyout negotiations with Wells Fargo.
On Wednesday, the Knox County Board finally approved a buyout of the lease agreement with Wells Fargo, which remains a tenant on the first floor of the building. Wells Fargo vacated its downtown facility on July 14, 2021.
“(Wednesday) night, we approved the lease buyout, which was the final step we were waiting for before being able to start the construction phases,” Hawkinson said. “Once they vacate on December 31, we can start the construction for the needed renovations.
“It’s a little slower than we had anticipated, but the negotiations with Wells Fargo took a lot longer than we expected.”
Hawkinson said the buyout amount was $241,000. Wells Fargo will continue to pay lease monthly lease payments of $9,800 to the County through December for use of the first floor and the space for an existing ATM.
Knox County is expected to seek bids for necessary renovations from general contractors in November.
“Hopefully things will start to get rolling pretty quickly after the first of the year,” Hawkinson said. “My hope is to be occupying the facility by late in the second quarter of 2025.”
Exterior work to the property will primarily be concentrated on reconfiguring the parking lot and updating lighting.
“On the interior, there’s a not a lot of projects, other than putting up some walls and removing some walls,” Hawkinson said. “The biggest thing will be to install a complete second floor over which is now pretty much an open ceiling from the first floor up to the second.”
Non-judicial offices would move from courthouse
While the project remains in the final planning phase, Hawkinson said preliminary plans have the offices of the assessor and part of the treasurer on the second floor, and the county clerk, collector and recorder offices on the first floor.
The second floor also is expected to house an executive conference room, in addition to a new board room where meetings will be conducted. The County currently conducts most of its meetings at Galesburg City Hall.
Hawkinson said a drive-up window will remain on the south side of the building where customers can make purchases or pay such things as property taxes without leaving their vehicles.
“It’s exciting, because for the last 20 or 30 years it’s been nothing short of a problem with space issues,” Hawkinson said. “We saw an opportunity with this building and with the ARPA funds available, and we jumped on it.
“This should serve the county for years to come.”
ATM on site will be removed
Built in 1968 as the original facility of Home Savings & Loan, the building has 6,527 square feet on both the main and second floors. There also is a basement.
Approximately 30 to 35 county employees would move into the 50 E. Main St. building.
Hawkinson said Wells Fargo declined the opportunity to continue to operate the ATM on the property, and that it’s expected to be removed on Dec. 5.
“I wish it was staying, but in the end, (Wells Fargo) had no desire to keep it there,” he said.