Only one thing seems for sure — the county still plans to build a new justice center in Hazelwood.
After that, there is a lot of confusion heading toward a Nov. 6 vote on how to finance a series of buildings that are not yet on the drawing board.

“It’s unfortunate it has come up to election time and there is all this confusion. I realize there is not a clear picture,” said county Commissioner Carlyle Ferguson at a board meeting Oct. 15.

Ferguson is not the only one who noticed the confusion. It was pointed out by several citizens who attended the meeting, and it has surfaced concerning several aspects of the plan to construct a new justice center and jail. Here are the most recent developments in the debate over what kind of courthouse to build and where to put it:

° Commissioner Mary Ann Enloe thinks the county’s decision to move its new justice center to Hazelwood means the $36.6 million financing vote scheduled for Nov. 6 should be yanked from the ballot. The already-printed ballots state that voters are deciding how to pay for a parking deck, justice center and courthouse renovation at the downtown site, along with a jail in Hazelwood. Her motion — to delay the vote until new plans are finalized then hold a special election — died for lack of a second.

° Commissioner Bill Noland and County Manager Jack Horton both advocated distributing “fact sheets” before Nov. 6 that will try to explain to voters what the current plan is. They admitted that getting detailed plans ready before Nov. 6 will be difficult, but HLM architects and Howard Geisler — the man who developed the county’s space/needs master plan — met on the Hazelwood site last week with county officials. There was no discussion at the Oct. 15 meetings as to how the “fact sheet” would be distributed, although Noland did mention getting it in a “newspaper story.”

° After voters say “yes” or “no” to the $36.6 million financing plan on Nov. 6, the county will have to re-file bond applications and papers with the state Local Government Commission that contain the new plan that is currently being developed for the Hazelwood site. That means another public hearing — which will come after the vote.

Don Randolph, a frequent critic of the county’s plan for the new justice center, said the Nov. 6 vote by Haywood’s citizens will be “consistent” with action taken by commissioners.

“You voted to move it without knowing what it was, and now you are asking the citizens to vote without knowing what it will be,” said Randolph.

Waynesville makes an offer
County officials say the move to Hazelwood is a done deal, but some in Waynesville are hoping to find a way to lure the justice center back downtown. The decision to abandon the downtown site nullified earlier plans to put a $17 million justice center and $4.2 million parking garage downtown and to do $4.2 million in renovations to the historic courthouse. It is also likely to change plans for the $11 million jail facility.

The Oct. 1 vote nixed the parking deck and historic courthouse renovation in favor of putting a combined justice center/county office complex/jail in Hazelwood at the site of the former A.C. Lawrence Tannery. The board secured an option on the 13.5-acre tract for $617,000.

“It’s done. That’s it,” said County Board Chairman Jim Stevens in an interview last week. Stevens was out of town and did not attend the Oct. 15 county board meeting.

Waynesville, however, sent a letter to the county Oct. 10 with a formal invitation for a joint meeting with an outside facilitator.

“We would like to find some areas of compromise. I look forward to talking with commissioners about it,” said Waynesville Mayor Henry Foy in an interview, holding out hope that perhaps the county would change its mind. “The big thing is, we’d like to try and keep it where it is.”

In fact, the town’s overture to the county puts two new wrinkles into the debate:

° The town has offered to create an industrial park at the site the county wants to put the new justice center. “The town board has expressed a willingness to contribute substantial funds toward the construction of a spec building .... we feel that an industrial park would provide a much greater boost, not only to Hazelwood and West Waynesville, but to the entire county,” states the Oct. 10 letter.

° The letter also asks the county to consider the implications of refusing to meet to discuss the proposal. State law mandates that the courts stay within the town limits of the county seat. However, the proposed new site is zoned for industrial use — not government. “At some point, (aldermen) will be asked to amend the town’s zoning ordinance to allow governmental buildings in an industrial zone. Prior to having such a request appear on their agenda, I am sure the Town Board would like to have a factual basis that the best interests of the town citizens and the county at large are served,” the letter states, saying a joint meeting would be “most helpful to talk face to face with the commissioners about the possible sites.”

Enloe called the letter a bribe.

“Waynesville is willing to bribe us now .... As far as I’m concerned, my vote stands,” Enloe said at the Oct. 15 county board meeting.

So runs the debate on where to locate a county government project that promises to be the largest ever built in Haywood County.

County commissioners had fought off criticism for months that the downtown site and its necessary parking deck were too expensive. The town of Waynesville and the Downtown Waynesville Association had strongly supported keeping the project in the central business district. Commissioners  very early in the site selection process — had inquired about a site on Howell Mill Road but had been rebuffed by its owner. While heated debate about the design and cost of the building had been ongoing, it appeared that the downtown site had the support of the commissioners.

Then, after coming out of a closed session Oct. 1, the board voted unanimously to move the new site to Hazelwood. Commissioners plan to scrap the parking deck, scrap renovations to the historic courthouse, move additional offices to the new Hazelwood site and save $4-10 million.

“It makes sense in several ways, primarily from a money standpoint,” said County Manager Jack Horton.

In addition to the costs, though, Horton said the fact that the board voted unanimously was important.
“Can you recall any time over the last several months when we’ve had a unanimous vote on anything to do with this project?” Horton asked a reporter. “That’s pretty powerful.”

Despite the unanimous vote, Foy hopes to get the opportunity to discuss the decision.

“I would like to get together and talk about it. We’ve done very little talking except to say we wanted it in the central business district,” said Foy.

The town never had the opportunity to discuss with the county what it might do to encourage them to stay downtown.

“It had never gotten to the stage where it was ‘we’re getting out, let’s talk about what the town might do,’” said Foy.

Foy says Waynesville had supported the project in the face of criticism from others until the county came up with a 64-foot tall preliminary plan. Then, the town still supported staying downtown but wanted the height lowered so the new justice center would not overshadow the existing courthouse and the rest of the downtown business district.

Now, Foy says moving the center of government out of the central business district could have a devastating economic impact.

“There will be hundreds of thousands of dollars lost by people who have invested in downtown,” said Foy, referring to law practices, restaurants and office buildings located in and around Main Street.

The town has asked for a joint meeting the week of Oct. 22, but the county did not set a proposed date at its Oct. 15 meeting.

 

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