New downtown annex building to house all of Bibb sheriff’s investigators and public records
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office opened the doors to its new Downtown Annex Building on Thursday morning. Community leaders and members gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the four-year project.
The newly renovated building was a former Sears store at the corner of Third Street and Riverside Drive.
“This is a revitalization of this part of downtown,” Sheriff David Davis said.
He said his office is proud to be able to make a difference in a growing and vibrant downtown area.
Davis thanked the 2013 Bibb County Board of Commissioners, which made the decision to purchase the building for $500,000.
Originally, $2.7 million was budgeted for the project, but another $1.2 million was added in 2015 to finish the work. There were unexpected complications with the building and budget that caused it to open later than planned.
Davis said that taxpayers would benefit from the new annex building because all of the investigators are now under one roof.
“It saves us on cost because we had the investigators scattered in three or four buildings throughout town,” he said. “Plus, all of our central records and access reports are in a one-stop shop.”
Davis said this is the last big step in consolidating the Macon Police Department with the sheriff’s office.
“People who investigate burglaries and people who investigate aggravated assaults and homicides are not across the street from each other,” he said. “They’re across the hall from each other.”
The drug and gang related crimes unit will also be in the new building, along with the State Court Probation department.
Mayor Robert Reichert also spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony. He said the project will directly affect the people of Bibb County.
Also on the guest list was Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.
This story was originally published June 8, 2017 at 4:47 PM with the headline "New downtown annex building to house all of Bibb sheriff’s investigators and public records."