wilkes

Maybe they can remodel lodge into a Pharmaceutical manufacturing facility with lower costs. Wilkes County be Shell** in high cotton. The up coming election already bringing high hopes for residents. Major oil company & reduced drug company. Jobs Jobs Jobs, what more could anyone ask for?

They just paid for the Elk's Lodge building in February, and according to the article, the architect presented several options in August!

So in only 6 months, they had already decided against using the Elk's Lodge, advertised bids for an architect, hired an architect from those that submitted proposals, then had him research the property to put together several options.

Yeah, that's not fishy.

I may move my fracking operations down there.

About $26000 an acre for land? Must be HUGE oil reserve under that land. They don't need fire station, need oil rigs set up immediately. County's tax rate be $ 0.00. WE gonna be rich.

I remember the talk about the New FD at the former American Drew site.Bait and Switch as normal!

We have no choice in these matters, we can go to meetings and object (if they aren't held in private ) but the people running things do as they please.

The problem is that most voters have absolutely no idea what's going on. The JP doesn't talk about it, and most people only vote for someone because they think he or she is a nice person (and they're stupid enough to not realize that EVERYBODY is nice when they want your vote!).

We have to work harder to make sure everybody knows about this type of corruption, and which of our commissioners voted in favor of it. When they're obviously just handing over our tax money to their buddies, we HAVE to vote them out!!!

This is just another case of the "good old boys" helping out their own. The building was just a way to pass tax payers money into private hands.

How many meetings have you been to, kenc?

We have no choice in these matters, we can go to meetings and object (if they aren't held in private ) but the people running things do as they please.

I guess North Wilkesboro saw you hillbillies are dumb enough to spend 30 million on a water intake for the poor Tyson family they'd go ahead and give their buddies a few million.

I agree antithesis, it all sounds stupid and crazy.

Our government at it's best right there folks!

All about the Benjamin's

After buying the Elk's Lodge so that they could turn it into a fire station, now the Town has realized that the property just isn't big enough. So now they want to buy another property for $500,000.

If only someone could have realized that before they bought it for $200,000 just 7 months ago. Oh, wait, we did! That's exactly what everyone kept saying last year!

I guess they just forgot, too, that they sold the American Drew property with the condition that they be given land back to build a fire department.

It's almost as if they're suddenly just buying up property from friends and family for inflated rates, and then doing nothing with it...

Joint station site recommended

North Wilkesboro Town Manager Larry South has recommended building a joint police and fire station on Second Street from among public safety facility options.

South made the recommendation when the matter was briefly discussed during a town board work session Thursday night in preparation for the board's Oct. 4 regular meeting.

Jim Powell of ADW Architects presented several options to the board in August.

South estimated the total cost of the Second Street option at $7.2 million, which included buying 19.5 acres for about $500,000. The land belongs to several heirs.

North Wilkesboro Fire Chief Jimmy Martin said he would like to keep the current fire station at 709 Ninth Street maintained for downtown use, including keeping the aerial truck there.

Mayor Robert Johnson agreed with Martin about the value of keeping a satellite station near downtown.

Commissioner Debbie Ferguson said it would be prudent to acquire an option on the Second Street property as soon as possible.

Commissioner Bart Hayes said the Second Street site was very attractive.

Hayes said he could also envision a fine municipal structure on the site of the former Elk's Lodge at the intersection of Second Street and Finley Avenue, which the town recently purchased.

Hayes said the option of building facilities for the fire and police stations on the Elk's Lodge property wasn't practical because it lacked room for growth.

Another option presented was renovating and expanding the former Wilkes County Women's Detention Center on Boston Avenue for use as the primary fire station and renovating the current police station in the former town hall on Main Street, North Wilkesboro.

A discussion of the public safety facility was added to the Oct. 4 meeting.

http://www.journalpatriot.c...mode=story