Office scheduled to move in September
The new Polk County Department of Social Services (DSS) building is taking shape as steel framing is in place.
The new building, located off Wolverine Trail in Mill Spring, is scheduled to be complete sometime in August. The county plans to relocate the DSS office to the new building in September, according to Polk County Manager Ryan Whitson.
The Polk County Board of Commissioners Monday, April 4 approved a parking lot light to comply with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification that the county has decided to obtain with the building. The light, to be located on the right side of the parking lot, will be slightly lower in height and bulb wattage than other parking lot lights to comply with LEED requirements. Polk County Manager Ryan Whitson said he is not concerned about the height or the lower wattage of the one light, because any night parking by employees will be done in the rear of the building.
Construction of the framework began about a month ago, with grading being previously completed. The slab for the 11,900-square-foot building was poured in January. Underground plumbing and water and sewer lines have also been connected to the site.
The county agreed last year to construct a new DSS, or human services, building on county-owned property at the county recreation park adjacent to the Polk County Middle School. The county has agreed to finance the building at up to $1.85 million, with state and federal reimbursements expected over the next 45 years. The county approved a $1,590,755 bid from Able Constructors late last year for the construction, with the total project estimated at $1,914,052.
Polk County expects state and federal reimbursements of more than $95,000 for the building this fiscal year, based on an estimated 61-percent reimbursement rate. The total reimbursements over 45 years could result in the county spending about $750,000 for the building. DSS services are funded through state, federal and county tax dollars, depending on the service.
The county has worked for the past couple of years to get all offices out of the aged Jervey Palmer building (the former St. Luke’s Hospital) on Carolina Drive in Tryon. Commissioners have said the old building is costly to maintain and not suited for county services because much of the square footage is made up of hallways.
The Meeting Place Senior Center, which was previously located in the Jervey Palmer building, moved in late 2009 into renovated space in the former Carolina Classical School off Skyuka Road near Columbus.
The county’s veteran’s services office, also formerly located in the Jervey Palmer building, was moved to the new senior center building as well.
Commissioners have not yet decided where to house mental health services, which are also housed in the Jervey Palmer building.