MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – (Friday, February 5, 2021) – Berkeley County will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Administration Building Expansion on Monday, February 22 at 4 p.m. The ceremony will mark the opening of the 30,000-square-foot expansion, connected to the current Berkeley County Administration Building, located at 1003 Highway 52 in Moncks Corner.
This project has been years in the making, and with support from County Council, Supervisor Johnny Cribb worked to get this project moving. Engineering and design began in July 2019, and the project’s construction contract was awarded to Choate Construction in April 2020. The total cost of construction for the project is approximately $9 million, funded by Berkeley County’s 2016 General Obligation bond. Additionally, the County has done some work in-house, keeping construction costs low while also minimizing impacts to the public.
Overall, the expansion adds more parking and centralizes more County departments into one location, better serving the public and County employees. The expansion features a new home for Berkeley County Voter Registration and Elections Office, Berkeley County 911 Center, Berkeley County Emergency Operations Center, S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles Office (SCDMV), Berkeley County Engineering, Berkeley County Finance, and a Wellness Center. More than 100 employees from these County departments are currently moving into their new locations. Please see map attached with the new locations for the County departments.
- Voter Registration and Elections Office: This office will be open to the public in their new location on February 8. A staff member will continue to operate out of the North Live Oak complex until the full transition has been made into the new facility.
- Berkeley County 911: The Center will be fully operational in its new location on February 24. They are moving from their previous location at 223 North Live Oak Live Drive.
- Berkeley County Engineering: Employees will start moving to the new offices February 10 and will be fully transitioned to serve the public by February 16. This team was previously located in the Berkeley County Water and Sanitation Building.
- Berkeley County Emergency Operations Center: The EOC will be moving from its former location at 223 North Live Oak Drive on February 10. They expect the new EOC to be fully operational by February 16.
- Berkeley County Finance: Employees will be fully moved into their new location by February 9. Their offices are currently in the Administration Building.
- S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles: The SCDMV Monck’s Corner branch office is expected to move from its current location at 108-B Highway 52 to the new Administration Building by Summer 2021.
For many departments, the expansion offers additional workspace and room to grow, along with improved technology—including better phone, internet and radio connectivity, and enhanced public safety. Specifically, certain departments, including the 911 Center and Emergency Operations Center, feature restricted public access, allowing employees only to enter and exit the facilities. In addition, the new Emergency Operations Center is rated to withstand a category 5 hurricane.
The new 911 Center also includes a “quiet room” for dispatchers to relax and de-stress and sleeping quarters for employees to utilize in the event of an emergency. Additionally, each dispatcher workstation is equipped with special lighting to allow supervisors to watch how long a dispatcher has been on a call.
The added space at the Voter Registration and Election Office allows room for three additional workspaces for employees and eight more workstations for absentee voting. Not only will staff be able to more efficiently serve voters, but also, the large, open hallways will provide more room for voters to wait in line inside the facility.
The current County Administration Building has been in its location since 2005 and was previously a K-Mart. Berkeley County purchased the former Food Lion building in 2014, two years after the supermarket closed.
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– Prepared by the Berkeley County Public Information Office –
