At the 2021 retreat of the Stanly County Board of Commissioners, the board decided on capital fund priorities for upcoming spending projects.

Top Priority

Six projects have been designated as top priority to begin in 2021-22.

The first project is a relocation of the primary 911 and Emergency Management Services from the basement of the courthouse to a new location, possibly to a newly-renovated office space at Stanly Commons.

The area in the basement of the courthouse may be remodeled for new administration offices for state-funded court functions. The costs of the projects is budgeted at $2 million.

Along with the 911 relocation, $500,000 has been budgeted for the relocation of the back-up 911 center from Atrium Health Stanly as a second top-priority project.

Another project marked as top priority is an $885,000 project for infrastructure at the county’s airport for new hangar space. Currently, there is a waiting list for existing space, but the new project would create pad-ready hangar sites for both public and private construction projects on an on-demand basis.

A new 25,000-square-foot facility for the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office has also been made a top priority. Currently, the 7,500-square-foot sheriff’s office is next to the county courthouse, and a new facility could provide more room for training and evidence storage. Removing the current sheriff’s office would provide more parking for the courthouse as well.

A $97,100 project would upgrade the outdated flooring in the county’s public health department.

The Stanly County Public Library will get a new roof for $100,000 to ensure no damage to library equipment or services.

Mid-Range

In the 2023-24 fiscal year, the Commons will get new flooring at a cost of $187,000. Cracks in the floor are showing the subfloor, and the planters in the Commons would be removed because they were described as being “a breeding ground for cockroaches and other insects.”

Plans for the new livestock arena at the Stanly County Agri-Civic Center, a $3.6 million project, have also been designated a mid-range priority.

Also budgeted are a new fleet-fueling station for county vehicles ($245,000) and the Middle Mile Open Access Broadband Project ($1,915,000). The broadband project would potentially improve high-speed internet capacity for the citizens and businesses of the county.

Low Priority

Three projects have been designated as low priority for the 2025-26 fiscal year, including a passenger elevator for the exterior of the Albemarle location of the public library.

A project of $2 million to renovate and expand the Senior Center is planned, which would provide additional space for programs for those 65 and older.

With Stanly’s recent acquisition of the sewer collection system of Pfeiffer University, another project would build sewers for a proposed industrial site north of the campus. The project would cost $1.3 million.