A plan to build a new Warren County Cooperative Extension Service headquarters on Russellville Road is getting a boost from Warren County Fiscal Court.

Fiscal court voted unanimously Friday to allocate $20,000 per year for the next five years to the Warren County Extension District Board to help fund the new building planned for 5144 Russellville Road.

The $100,000 total allocation will go toward the district board’s fundraising goal of $600,000 to pay a portion of the estimated cost of $3 million for the 16,728-square-foot building.

It will replace the 7,500-square-foot building at 3132 Nashville Road that has been the cooperative extension service’s home for 22 years.

“There’s not enough room in that building,” district board Chairman Joe Duncan told the magistrates. “We’ve been working on this for about 15 years. We have the land paid for, and we broke ground on the new site.”

Duncan said contractor Scott, Murphy & Daniel has started work on the building, which he hopes to see completed by next March.

“We’re trying to raise as much money as we can through donations and not have to borrow as much,” Duncan said.

Janet Turley, extension agent for 4-H youth development, said the district board hopes to sell the current headquarters for $1.8 million to go toward the cost of the new building, which she says is sorely needed.

“Our meeting rooms are completely booked now,” Turley said. “We’re excited about having a meeting room with a capacity for 300 people that can also be broken down into three smaller rooms.”

Turley said the extension service, which provides programs for agriculture, horticulture, 4-H youth development and the Supplemental Nutrition Education Program, has simply outgrown its current building.

“Bowling Green and Warren County are growing,” Turley said, “and we’re growing with the county.”

Turley said the extension office recorded more than 47,000 face-to-face contacts with clients last year, and she said the youth programs are growing as more county schools are built. She said the new building will also allow for an increase in the number of nonprofit groups that use the extension office’s meeting rooms.

The five-acre site for the new building was purchased for $330,000 in 2015.

In other action Friday, fiscal court voted to accept the recommendation of county Public Works Director Josh Moore to hire an in-house electrical inspector rather than continue contracting with Ohio County-based Green River Electrical Inspection Service.

The magistrates voted to hire Eric Woosley, who has been an electrical inspector for the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction for 15 years, at a salary of $52,000 per year.

Fiscal court also passed on first reading an ordinance approving changes to county zoning ordinances proposed by the City-County Planning Commission of Warren County.

Those changes would create a new comprehensive design review process designed to eliminate duplication among the different agencies involved in planning and approving developments. The changes must also be approved by the cities of Bowling Green, Smiths Grove, Plum Springs, Oakland and Woodburn to take effect.

The magistrates approved a memorandum of agreement between the Warren County Commonwealth’s Attorney Office and the Administrative Office of the Courts to install wireless access points at the Warren County Justice Center.

Warren County Commonwealth’s Attorney Chris Cohron said the wireless access points will be paid for through the state’s “Rocket Docket” program designed to expedite cases through the judicial system.

“This technology will help us review and assess cases quickly,” Cohron said. “This will expedite resolutions on the cases and result in cost savings.”

The magistrates also approved purchasing a 2018 track loader for the county parks department from Whayne Supply at a price of $38,700 and approved spending $10,100 for a Ferris mower for Ephram White Park.