The $1.78 million cost of renovating a former Pottsville beauty school for use as county offices jumped by another $6,239 on Wednesday.

Commissioners, with minority Commissioner Gary J. Hess opposed, approved a change order that calls for installing a frost footer and foundation wall below a set of garage doors at 324 N. Centre St.Contractors are replacing the doors, at the rear of the building, with a wall. As they excavated, they discovered there was no foundation below the doors.Hess, a Democrat, had also opposed the acquisition of the 21,000-square-foot building, catty-corner from the courthouse, and two adjacent lots in May 2013 for $740,000 from brothers Dale and Franklin Schoeneman.Hess has said the cost of acquiring and renovating the former Empire beauty school is too expensive.In April, he said the acquisition and work done at that point totaled $955,819. The general contracting tab, awarded in Aprilto Miller Brother Brothers Construction, comes to another $1,738,100.However, Republican commissioners George F. Halcovage Jr. and chairman Frank J. Staudenmeier have said the county will be reimbursed for $500,000 of the cost through a government grant.In October 2012, commissioners floated a $21 million bond issue to fund building projects; $2.6 million of that was earmarked to buy and renovate the 324 N. Centre St. building.So far, the county has spent $211,956 on construction, said county administrator Mark Scarbinsky.Once the construction is finished in about five months, it will house the county's Children and Youth Services agency, which now occupies cramped space in a building across the street.