The Putnam County Board of Commissioners unveiled its brand new office building Friday as part of a celebration for what the future holds in the community.

Located on Highway 441 across from Central Georgia Technical College’s Putnam County annex, the new building will not only house the offices of elected board members from the board of commissioners, but also offices for planning and zoning officials and other government employees.

“This building has been over two years in the making. It has become a symbol of the future of Putnam County,” County Manager Paul Van Haute said. “A project like this has many moving parts and partners that helped us get to this point in time.”

Van Haute thanked everyone from volunteers to Ray Fordham Architects for the company’s help in achieving the look of the finished building. More than 50 partners helped in the construction of the new office.

Air Conditioning Specialties, the company in charge of installing the high efficiency systems in the office, is the main reason why Putnam County received a $14,000 reward from Georgia Power for energy efficiency.

The new system will result in lower electric costs, especially during non-peak periods when consumption is not necessary.

The building’s new technology is another reason why moving into the new office space gives Putnam County’s employees a far greater advantage in communication.

Installed with Voice over IP and Wi-Fi connectivity with the help of AT&T and the Georgia Technology Authority, Putnam County is the first county in the state that has signed on to the state of Georgia contract.

“The estimated savings on the new phone system on the state of Georgia contract will result in the savings of approximately $94,000 a year,” Van Haute said.

As a surprise to many of the commissioners and employees, Van Haute announced the receipt of a $430,000 grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation for new signage and striping countywide.

Other commissioner members spoke of Van Haute’s dedication to the project and credited him with leading the way toward the finish line.

“There’s one glaring omission that I’d like to correct right now. Paul (Van Haute) was quite correct saying that everyone had an integral part in putting together this facility,” said District 3 Commissioner Alan Foster. “But the one consistent person through this entire process was Paul Van Haute who put this together and held this together.”

The county commissioners followed Friday’s speeches with an official ribbon cutting ceremony in front of the building, as area elected officials, including state Sen. Johnny Grant, R-Millledgeville, joined in

Tours and food were provided as well as Z97 playing music throughout the afternoon.

The commissioners hope the new building will continue to build Putnam County not only for the near future, but also for the coming years ahead.