Stanly News & Press - July 14, 2010
Locust City Council was joined Saturday by Congressman Larry Kissell and USDA Rural Develop-ment State Director Randall Gore for a groundbreaking ceremony for the Locust Government Center. Also joining them were project architect Allan McGuire with McGuire Architecture and Planning, contractor Michael Miles with Miles Builders, Inc., and project engineers, McGill and Associates.

“It was a great day,” Mayor Scott Efird said.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better day; with all the people that came out and the good weather, everything was excellent.”

The new government center will house City Hall, the police department and Locust branch of the Stanly County Public Library. It will include office space, evidence storage, meetings rooms and library book storage.

“We wanted something that would bring all of the government entities together in one place, and this idea will really be cheaper in the long run,” Efird said.

In the Feb. 11 City Council meeting, City Administrator James Inman explained that the project, which would allow for the expansion of the government facilities, has been in the works for nearly two years, and originally only included the police department and city hall.

The police department will be in the 13,500-square-foot structure, and just recently added was the Locust branch of the Stanly County Public Library. The City Hall, which has already been relocated due to capacity concerns, will be expanded to 4,000 square feet, while the meeting room will be 1,500 square feet. Both the library and the police department will also be 4,000 square feet, which is a considerable expansion from their current locations.

The goal of this project is to provide a centralized location for the government buildings and to decrease city expenditures by eliminating rent payments.

USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Rural Development is providing a $2.1 million Community Facility Loan for the new center through funds made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act). The city will have 40 years to pay back the loan at a rate of 4.125 percent, with a total yearly repayment for the loan being approximately $109,552. The repayment will not begin until one year from the date of closing on the building.

“Recovery Act projects likes this will provide needed infrastructure in rural communities and they contribute to the Obama administration’s continued efforts to turn the economy around and create quality jobs,” Gore said.

“These types of projects are helping to restore the economy while improving the quality of life throughout rural North Carolina.”

Locust City Council took the final step necessary to bring a new City Hall to City Centre June 10 when it voted in to award the bid for the new government center. The bid was awarded to Miles Builders, Inc. of Mint Hill for a final projected cost of $1.68 million. Originally the project was expected to cost $1.85 million, but several items were changed or removed from the original plans.

Efird is excited about the project because of what it will mean to Locust to have all the city services in one central location that will also be the focal point of City Centre. He is also hopeful about what the new structure will be able to do toward bringing new retail options to the area, as well as a customer base to support local businesses.

“I believe this will be the crown jewel of Locust. This new government center will be a nice facility, and will be a building that the citizens of Locust can be proud of for years to come,” Efird said.