By COLLIN BREAUX
The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office is now headquartered along Highway 90.
HCSO recently moved their administrative center to 1173 East Highway 90, as you’re coming into Bonifay from Chipley. The agency was previously located at 211 North Oklahoma Street, in the heart of Bonifay.
The move was done so HCSO has more space. The evidence room, in particular, was getting full.
‘It’s refreshing, especially the evidence part,’ Sheriff John Tate said. ‘The old building we were in was built in the 40s. The part we were actually in was built in the 60s. When you move from there to here, it’s something to be proud of.’
HCSO is also ‘proud to show off’ their new center when people visit, he said.
‘It brings up morale, as far as the people that work here-to have something nice to work out of,’ Tate said.
Now HCSO has a ‘huge evidence room’ which is more advanced than their previous room. The new building on Highway 90 used to be an agricultural center.
‘This building was available. The county commissioners agreed to let us have it and remodel it,’ Tate said. ‘It’s trying to save some taxpayer money, taking a building that’s already here and remodeling it rather than building a new one.’
The transition is coming in $152,000 to $200,000 under budget, with a total allotted budget of $750,000.
‘A majority of this was built using inmate labor,’ Tate said.
The old HCSO building on North Oklahoma Street likely won’t be vacant, though, since the Bonifay Police Department has expressed interest in moving in and using that center-which county officials have been receptive to.
Bonifay Police Chief Johnny Whitaker said he and Tate have been in constant communication about the imminent move, which is being reviewed by legal representatives and expected to be approved soon by county commissioners.
‘I think it’s a good thing,’ Tate said. ‘They’re facing some of the same issues we are as far as space. With the fire department out there, they have limited offices. When they move into our old place, they’ll probably have twice or three times as many offices as they do now.’
The BPD will also be ‘in the center of town’ when they move in, he said.
Garett Valcourt