ST. GEORGE — Remodel work on the Washington County Boulevard Office Building has been coming along since mid-summer, adding to the building projects taking place in downtown St. George.

Work on the aged building began in June in the contracted amount of $1.25 million, Washington County Administrator Nicholle Felshaw said.

“The initial reason for the remodel was because the roof needed some tender care,” Felshaw said. However, it turned out an exterior remodel was the “best way the go,” she said.

The building is quite old, and the county has had to make sure new problems encountered along the way were adequately addressed, Felshaw said.

“We got into the building and saw it had several wants that needed addressing,” Washington County Commissioner Dean Cox said. “We had to take care of some pipe damage and termite damage and bring it up to code.”

The building, located at 176 E. 100 North, once served as a Ford Motors dealership and then as the downtown home of Boulevard Home Furnishings in the mid-1970s until it relocated to a larger building next to the Red Cliffs Mall in 2000. Soon after that, the county took ownership.

The county moved the County Assessor’s Office, justice court and other services to the building.

Those familiar with the old building may remember the “mushroom top” it’s long had. That is going away as a part of the remodel, Felshaw said.

For now, the remodel is external only, with the exception of windows being installed on the third floor where the county justice court is located. A large portion of the parking lot between the Boulevard Office Building and Washington County Administration Building was also recently redone.

The county justice court, assessor’s office and other county services within the building have remained open during the remodel process, which is expected to wrap up by early December.

In the long-term, the county has plans to build a new administration building and move all of its services there, minus the justice court.

The justice court is planned to take up the entirety of the old office building after an interior remodel.

“Our goal is to bring it all under one roof and make it user-friendly,” Felshaw said.

Cox said he believes the county will be get several more years of use out of the old building following the remodel.

Other projects in the downtown area currently underway involve the incoming City View and Joule Plaza mixed-use developments.

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