Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

At the recent retreat of the Stanly County Board of Commissioners, the board chose to prioritize three projects for the next five years.

County Manager Andy Lucas gave a report to the board about the Capital Improvement Project (CIP), including the completion of work on the roof of the main branch of the Stanly County Public Library, which came in just under the projected cost of $100,000.

Lucas said the floor replacement of the health department was not completed because the quotes for the job were higher than posted due to increased costs of materials and labor. He said plans to change some of the walls will probably push the new floors back in priority.

County staff also paid $19,200 for assessment and programming for a new sheriff’s office and a new 911 center. Estimated costs for the 911 center are $4 million, with the new sheriff’s office at $7 million.

Projects which were available for commissioners to move from the 2023-2027 time frame to the current one included:

• Site preparations for a new hangar at the Stanly County Airport;
• Replacing the floor in the Stanly Commons;
• A new fueling station for county vehicles;
• Expansion of broadband coverage with a new middle-mile, open access fiber network;
• Renovating the floor of the lobby at the Stanly County Agri-Civic Center;
• An exterior passenger elevator at the Stanly County Library’s main branch to bring the building into compliance with ADA standards;
• Renovations and expansions of the Stanly County Senior Center;
• Replacing the county’s computer aided dispatch (CAD) system used by 911 along with the RMS and JMS systems;
• Replacing the freight elevator at the Stanly County History Center.

Commissioners voted on which of the options should be moved up in priority. The board chose the 911 system, the airport hangar and broadband as tops on the list.