Pinched for space, many county governments are forced to pay for office space on the local rental market at a high cost — except in Clarion County, which has found a way to turn an expense into income.
The county purchased the former Clarion Hospital building on Seventh Avenue and converted it into the Human Resources Building. That building generates $291,120 in income annually for the county, according to the county’s budget director, Rose Logue.
“That helps to offset the cost of running that building,” she said. “We do make a little bit on it,” and the extra funds are returned to the general fund.
“All of the agencies in that building have a subsidy for rent that comes from the state or the federal government,” he said. “We were able to offer these agencies office space at a lower rate than they would have paid elsewhere.”
There is no county match with any of the leases.
The cost to lease space in the Human Resources Building is going up. The cost has been $8.30 cents per square foot and will increase to $8.75 cents this year.
“We have been able to maintain and improve the building,” Tharan said. “We have installed air conditioning and new carpet. This is an investment for the county.”