MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WGNS) - Rutherford County officials kicked off a major building renovation Friday (August 28th) to relocate five major government departments to a centralized location at 120 East Main Street in Murfreesboro (the former Bank of America Building).

WATCH THE EVENT KICKOFF

The upgraded facility will become the new operational home for Rutherford County Building Codes, the Election Commission, the Finance Department, Rutherford County Fire Rescue (RCFR) Administration, and Planning and Engineering.

Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr joined county commissioners, government staff, and community members to celebrate the project launch. Carr noted that finding a suitable downtown location to move departments out of the Goldstein Building required a multi-year effort involving numerous local leaders.

"This event is a perfect example of what can happen when we work together and collaborate to solve difficult issues," Carr said.

Department leaders attending the ceremony expressed optimism about the move, emphasizing that the new facility will improve day-to-day operations and public access.

"The Building Codes Department has been fortunate to call the Goldstein Building home for many years, it has served us well and we are excited that this next chapter will keep us right here in downtown Murfreesboro," Building Codes Director Tanya Bell said. "This move will give us a more modern, functional space that better serves both our employees and the citizens, contractors and development community we work with every day. We are excited to see the project get underway, remaining a part of the continued investment in our historic downtown while preparing our department for the future."

Planning Director Doug Demosi echoed those sentiments, pointing to the long-term benefits for growing Rutherford County operations.

"This project will allow our departments to continue providing the level of customer service our citizens have come to expect, while also allowing room for future growth," Demosi said. "We’re very excited to continue serving the public in a modern facility in the heart of downtown Murfreesboro."

The project also addresses critical operational needs for public safety administration.

"On behalf of Chief Farley and the entire Fire Rescue Department, we are very excited to witness the beginning of this important project," RCFR Deputy Chief/Fire Marshal Josh Sanders said. "This represents far more than additional office space—it is a critical investment in Fire Rescue’s ability to meet the growing needs of our department and continue providing the highest level of service to our community."

For local voters, the updated space promises a faster and more efficient voting experience, particularly during high-volume election cycles.

"We are looking forward to having the space to better serve the voters of Rutherford County especially during early voting," Administrator of Elections Alan Farley said. "This new space will consolidate our square footage but most importantly, it will provide a floor plan that allows us to be more efficient in serving the thousands of citizens that choose to early vote in our office each election cycle. The folks at Kline Swinney have done a great job in helping us design a records storage system to maintain the nearly half a million voter records that we are mandated to keep on file."