Columbus Health Department moving some services to new building. Here’s what to know

Some services of the Columbus Health Department will be shifting as the office moves to a new location, government officials have announced.

During a presentation to Columbus Council on Tuesday, Deputy City Manager Pam Hodge explained the shift in services and the reasoning behind the impending move from the department’s current location on Comer Avenue to a new building on Veterans Parkway.

The Health Department offices are currently located in a 240,000 square foot building at 2100 Comer Avenue. On November 12, Columbus Council voted to purchase the former Virginia College building at 5601 Veterans Parkway for $2.5 million with the intent to relocate some services.

According to Hodge, the city is looking to close on the property in early February, renovate the Virginia College building and move offices prior to June 30.

Services that are expected to move to the Veterans Parkway location include clinical and educational services like:

• Vital records
• Immunizations
• WIC
• Services to students and schools
• Teen health
• Children 1st
• Women’s Health

Services that are expected to stay at the Comer Avenue location include residential and business services such as:

• Environmental Health
• Septic systems
• Public swimming pools
• Tattoo artists and parlors
• Well water sampling
• Tourist accommodations
• Restaurants
• Vector Control
• Emergency Preparedness
• District Administration

Hodge said a new shuttle will be provided to transport citizens to the new location, which is located 3.3 miles, or about a 10-minute drive, from the current location.

The current METRA service runs 33 trips per day within walking distance or directly in front of the Veterans Parkway building. Proposed changes to the service would create a daily shuttle between the Metra Transfer Center, 2100 Comer Avenue and 5601 Veterans Parkway, she said.

Why the move?

City Manager Isiaiah Hugley said the city will be saving money in the long term by purchasing the former Virginia College building.

The Comer Avenue building was originally owned by the Medical Center Hospital Authority/Columbus Regional Healthcare and purchased by Family Holdings Sub LLC in 2016.

The health department occupies the building along with the West Central Health District, DFACS and New Horizons, Hodge said.

The city pays an annual rent of $321,827 out of the general fund for the health department’s offices.

The city’s lease is set to expire on June 30, 2020 and the rent is expected to increase between $482,000 and $950,000 annually.

District 2 Councilor Glenn Davis called the move a “deal” for taxpayers, as the city will have a $3 million asset that it owns as opposed to continuing to pay rent, which would likely be in excess of $500,000 a year as opposed to the $310,000 debt payment the city will pay on the building until they own it.

The building purchase was financed with a bond issue through the Columbus Building Authority for up to $5 million, to include any renovation the city might do to the building, which is currently estimated at $2.5 million.

The Veterans Parkway building was constructed in 1975 and renovated in 2011.

At 81,000 square feet, it was being used as a satellite campus for Virginia College until it abruptly closed in 2018.