Special to 1808Delaware
Earlier this week, the Delaware County Commissioners and County Engineer Chris Bauserman marked the official opening of the newly renovated Byxbe Building, home to the County’s engineering, planning and development services.
The 144,000-square-foot building at 1610 State Route 521 formerly was home to the Delaware Area Career Center’s North Campus. The 64-acre site was purchased by the County for $1.7 million in 2017 after the DACC consolidated its operations to a single, expanded campus on U.S. Route 23.
The $42 million Byxbe Campus soon will include both the Byxbe Building and the newly constructed Sheriff’s Administrative Building, which is slated to open in late November. The campus is named for Moses Byxbe, one of Delaware County’s earliest settlers who helped found and plan the city of Delaware.
The Byxbe Building houses offices for the County Engineer, the Regional Sewer District, the Delaware County Regional Planning Commission, the County’s Building Safety and Facilities Management departments, the Delaware Soil & Water Conservation District, and OSU Extension.
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Commissioner Jeff Benton noted: “These are teams whose daily work is managing the growth that Delaware County continues to be blessed with. They very often work with each other on the same projects, but now they can do so in person and on the same site. This is efficiency both for our operations and for fulfilling the public’s needs.”
Said Bauserman: “This building and campus that we celebrate today are a great balance between form and function. The renovation is well done with quality finishes but it’s certainly not extravagant. It has been planned with flexibility in the ways the space can be used and shared with room for growth as our county continues to grow. This facility will serve us well today and I’m confident that it will continue to do so for decades to come
The project also has been notable because of how it was financed.
“Due to the fiscally conservative policies that guide our decision making,” said Commissioner Barb Lewis, “we are proud to say we have been able to finance the new campus without incurring any debt.”
Commissioner Gary Merrell said: “As our County continues to grow, our facilities must grow with it. By consolidating a number of offices we will be more work efficient and fiscally efficient as we cease operation in the vacated sites. This is a win for Delaware County taxpayers.”
The County plans to host a public open house for the Byxbe Building later this winter.
Source, Photo: Delaware County
