By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Three county departments are moving to a building on US-56 that used to house a beauty salon.

On Friday, planning and zoning director Sharon Omstead oversaw moving part of furniture for the three rooms that the planning, zoning, and environmental health department will occupy in the building at 1240 Commercial Dr. north of US-56.

Omstead said work of moving would be done over a span of days.

Road and bridges and emergency management departments are also moving to the building.

A larger conference room was added to the building and electrical, plumbing, and drywall work was done in preparation for the departments to move there.

The county paid $160,000 for the former Silk Salon building in late in June 2022 with the idea of converting it into a new health department building.

When the health department considered moving there, county health nurse Krista Schneider got an estimate of $693,700 for extensive work.

Commissioners changed plans and voted to use the building as office space for the three other departments.

Construction of a new building for the health department is scheduled to begin after impending demolition of the former Marion County Food Bank building on E. Main St. in Marion