After 25 years of Sky Valley City Hall being located at 3444 Highway 246, it officially will be relocated less than a mile up the road to 3608 Highway 246 in Sky Valley in the next few months.
City hall’s new location used to house the business Ed West Realty, which no longer operates out of the building.
Sky Valley City Manager Jason Streetman said the city of Sky Valley acquired the building a few years ago and city officials began discussing potentially relocating city hall to have more space and offer more amenities for residents and visitors.
The new location is approximately 2,000 square feet, twice as large as the current city hall, according to Streetman. He said the larger building will be more functional and house Sky Valley City Hall, municipal court, city council chambers, and the Sky Valley Visitors/Welcome Center.
“We are excited that our city-owned building on Highway 246 is being refurbished to serve our citizens and visitors,” said Mayor Hollie Steil. “This building is a welcomed addition to improve and enhance our current city services.”
Streetman said Sky Valley holds court once a month, and the area in the space earmarked for Municipal Court inside the new building will be able to seat approximately 30-40 people comfortably. There also will be a podium area where city council members can sit while conducting meetings.
Currently, Sky Valley City Council members meet at 696 Sky Valley Way (the Old Lodge), which is the current location of Community Bible Church of Sky Valley. Council members have to sit at a fold-out table on fold-out chairs while attendees sit in the audience on fold-out chairs.
Streetman said there is ample parking and space to conduct city business.
“The new council meeting room is designed to be a meeting space for our city council’s workshops and council meetings, and will be used for other city functions as our monthly court sessions and city committee meetings,” Steil said.
“We are looking forward to it,” Streetman said about the move. “There was a lot that went into that space.”
Sherron Van Camp, communication specialist for the City of Sky Valley, said the building will be great for the community, visitors and city officials because it will be open and more inviting. The facility will feature a hospitality component with audio-visual resources and a Kiosk where visitors can get information about Sky Valley and surrounding areas. It also will be decorated with historic photos depicting the history of Georgia’s highest and coolest city.
Steil said the building will offer space for Camp’s office, who was newly hired and will serve as the city’s ambassador to visitors.
There are also plans to have a gift shop at the location as well.
Streetman said the goal is to “create an atmosphere where people can learn about the history of Sky Valley.” The city manager said it will function as a great location for motorists traveling to Highlands, N.C., to stop to visit and learn more about the city.
Streetman added that the new location will accommodate growth that has moved into Sky Valley within the past few years.
Streetman said council members approved the relocation last year and contractor bids for the job were sent out last spring. OLI Home Solutions, a division of Oliver Landscaping Incorporated, received the renovation contract in late spring/early summer.
The business is based out of Commerce, Ga., and is owned and operated by Chip Oliver, who owns a residence in Sky Valley. The company has served Northeast Georgia since 1985 and offers renovation, painting, and landscaping among other services.
The renovation on the building began in late October/early November 2022, said Streetman, noting the renovation is still ongoing and is about 90 percent complete.
Streetman said the parking lot needs to be re-striped, signage needs to be placed outside, landscaping needs to be completed and portions inside the building still need to be finished.
“We hope to have everything in place in May,” Streetman said about the estimated completion of the project.
The goal, Streetman said, is to have a grand opening and ribbon cutting for the community.
“We will schedule a ‘grand opening’ soon to showcase this new facility and look forward to showing it to all,” Steil said.
“We have spent approximately $90,000 renovating the building,” Streetman said about the cost. “It was a complete renovation.”
He said the city is expected to spend another approximately $25,000 in equipment, furniture, fixtures, and other amenities before the project is complete.
“We budgeted $60,000 in capital expenditures to renovate,” Streetman said of money from the General Fund. “We had approximately $25,000 in leftover Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for building renovations and we have over $50,000 in SPLOST equipment we are using.”
Streetman said the Sky Valley Police Department will move into the 3444 Highway 246 building when City Hall relocates.
The Sky Valley Police Department unveiled their newly renovated police department, which is located beside City Hall, in December 2019.
Once the police department relocates, the Public Works Department will expand into that building.
Sky Valley officials said they are looking forward to the possibilities the newly renovated building will offer.