MANTI—Sanpete County public health services are is getting an upgrade.
The permit for a new Central Utah Public Health Department building was approved by the Sanpete County Commission last Tuesday, April 5. The new building will take the place of the two health buildings, one in Manti and one in Mt. Pleasant, that have been serving the county for decades.
Commissioners said the building is needed to support the population growth Sanpete has experienced over the past decade, as well as the surge of community outreach that got started during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It will be built on available space on the east side of the existing courthouse, on the 100-200 North block of 100 East. Manti City will give the county an easement so it can expand the construction site several feet into the road on 100 East.
The county plans to use the extra land for two rows of parking on the east side of the health building. But there will still be enough space on 100 East for a row of diagonal parking.
Meanwhile, the south parking lot behind the post office will be updated to provide some spaces for parking lost at the heath building site, according to Commissioner Reed Hatch.
Jones & DeMille Engineering, consulting engineers for the project, is sending out requests for proposals Wednesday (today) for contractors, Hatch said. Bids will be accepted for the next few weeks.
The one-story building will be 6,224 square feet and meet ADA compliant, said Jamison Christensen, who will manage the project for Jones & Demille. It will include a conference room, exam rooms and 13 offices.
Construction should begin in the early summer, said Scott Bartholomew, commission chairman. The estimated costs of the building is $1.5 to $2 million, which the county will cover from funds it has received through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA).
The Central Utah Health Department will provide all the furnishings, which will look similar to their other health buildings in the Six County Area.
When the new building is finished, the present health building at 40 West 200 North in Manti, will be given to the Children’s Justice Center, where children come for questioning during child abuse investigations. It is meant to a safe, comfortable and neutral place for distraught families.
The current Children’s Justice Center is located in a home a block away from Snow College. The building is owned by the college and is earmarked for another use, Bartholomew said.
The county presently leases the health building in Mt. Pleasant from Mt. Pleasant City. It will be given back to the city, Hatch said.
