County Commissioner Wade Francis thinks the county should determine exactly who will work in the new justice center before purchaseeing land for the project, but none of his fellow commissioners seem to agree.

“While we’re discussing sites, I think we need to have a workshop to decide whether it’s just a justice center or will it have county employees, to decide where we’re going and what we are doing,” said Francis on Monday (Nov. 3).

County board Chairman Jim Stevens, however, said the county needs to hurry and select a site.

“If we don’t select a site pretty soon, then we will have 15 more offered to us,” said Stevens.

The county was offered land by John Queen at its Oct. 29 meeting. On Monday commissioners went into closed session to discuss property acquisition. When they emerged, they said no new information was available on the Queen site. Commissioners also said they did not yet know the price of that land.

Ken Stahl, who owns two hotels in Haywood County, offered the county a 36-acre parcel priced at $1 million during Monday’s meeting. The site is next to the Days Inn on the bypass just outside the town limits of Waynesville.

“I’m here to offer yet another site for the justice center. I know you are having a tough time with the site selection,” said Stahl.

Stahl’s offer came to $28,278 per acre, while the county has an option on a site in Hazelwood that will cost $45,740 per acre.

Commissioner Mary Ann Enloe asked County Manager Jack Horton to prepare a list of what departments, agencies and employees would remain in the historic courthouse, and Horton said he would have that in two weeks.

As they continue their search for a new site, Stevens said the building could grow even larger than that 95,000-square-feet originally planned.

“One reason we moved from downtown was because of the size. We planned a 95,000-square-feet building. We still have that plan, and if we move other offices into it we’ll have to add more square footage to that,” said Stevens.

Francis, however, said he thinks there are problems with the space projections as calculated by consultant GSA.

“(Waynesville alderman) Gavin Brown works in the court facilities, and he said we didn’t need the space required in the GSA report,” said Francis.

“I think there are some problems,” he said.

 

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