McDowell County officials talk animal shelter, 911 center
Both projects face funding challenges
The McDowell County board of Commissioners held its first regular meeting for September on Monday at the County administrative Offices in downtown Marion. during that meeting, County manager Ashley Wooten (left) gave an update on county government building needs.
A new and bigger shelter for McDowell's growing animal population and a new location for the 911 Center are two projects that were discussed at Monday's meeting of the McDowell County Board of Commissioners.
The county is having a difficult time finding the money needed for the facilities.
During the meeting, County Manager Ashley Wooten gave an update on the 911 Center, where all the calls into 911 are handled and sent to the appropriate personnel. McDowell's 911 Center is housed in the lower level of the Marion Police Department and has been there for about 15 years.
County officials have sought to create a new and bigger location which will be separate from the Marion police station. They were hoping McDowell could get state and federal funding related to recovery from Hurricane Helene. But that is becoming more difficult, according to Wooten.
"It is becoming increasingly clear that it will be an uphill battle to secure Helene-related funding for the 911 Center replacement," Wooten said in a memo to the commissioners. "It is likely in the county's best interest to instead focus on an approach that utilizes the $1.5 million in USDA funding that has been received and also explore using the 911 Board grant funds to assist with the project costs."
A new 911 Center will likely cost about $3 million. "It is quite possible that the balance of the project can be received through the 911 Board grant, though it is not a guarantee," Wooten said in the memo.
McDowell officials have considered placing a new 911 Center on county-owned land along Spaulding Road.
The land could also become the site for a new animal shelter.
For many years, local residents and animal welfare advocates have asked the commissioners to create a new animal shelter for McDowell. The current shelter is located at 3751 N.C. Hwy. 226 South. It was built around 1980.
"It has been out of date for a very long time," Wooten said Monday.
Like a new 911 Center, county officials are facing an uphill battle to get enough funding for a new shelter.
"In a similar vein to the 911 Center, it appears there is no path for Helene funding for the animal shelter," Wooten wrote in a memo to the board. County officials have identified a site on Spaulding Road next to the law enforcement center and jail. They have previously set aside about $1 million of federal grant money and building sale proceeds for a new shelter.
Wooten said though there are no estimates for a new McDowell shelter, Burke County's new shelter cost about $7 million.
Wooten said the county could launch a fundraising effort and select an architect for a new shelter. The fundraising would be "the cherry on the top" and the majority of the cost will come from other sources.
Commissioner David Walker asked Wooten if the board should select an architect and Wooten said that would help with the process. Walker then made a motion to have county staff select an architect and bring back recommendations for the proposed site.
Walker's motion did not get a second from the other commissioners and his motion died.
McDowell officials talked about other building projects. One of them is the Ford Miller building on Baldwin Avenue across from the old Marion Manufacturing Co. site.
The McDowell Technical Community College board of trustees approved the lease of the Ford Miller building to county government. There are several items that need attention before staff can move in and these include painting, flooring, HVAC issues and others. A list is being developed of needs and associated costs, Wooten said.
He said the work could cost in the $100,000 range. These are costs that would have been incurred if McDowell Tech had retained occupancy.
Wooten wrote in a memo that the work will need to be done before the building is occupied.
The commissioners also heard about the replacement of the HVAC system in the services building, the large structure behind the courthouse which for many years was known as the County Administration Building. It was built 50 years ago.
The county has received bids for the HVAC replacement at the Services Building. The mechanical engineer assisting with the project has been working with the low bidder on value engineering in order to bring down the costs. The cost will likely be in the $500,000 range plus some other costs. "There is about $250,000 left in state funding that can be applied to this project," Wooten wrote in a memo.
