County Delays Action on Court Space Allocation
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Recommendations for allocation of space soon to become available in the Courts Facility will be tabled until a future meeting of the Moore County Board of Commissioners.
The board agreed to table the matter at a Tuesday meeting after a discussion in which Commissioner Nick Picerno called for a long-term plan addressing county office needs.
“Everybody needs to buy into the plan and keep the politics out,” Picerno said.
Picerno expressed concern that members of the public claimed they were unaware of plans to build a public safety complex and a local government office building in Carthage despite widespread discussion and news coverage of the issue.
The discussion arose when Rich Smith, the county’s property management director, was prepared to present the findings of a special committee studying courthouse space needs.
County Manager Cary McSwain pointed out that approval of the committee’s recommendations falls within the manager’s range of authority. However, McSwain said he wanted the board to be aware of the recommendations before he takes action. He recommended that the presentation be tabled until the next board meeting on Jan. 17.
Commissioner Tim Lea was absent Tuesday because of illness.
The space allocation plan is to provide guidance for use of a large area of the basement of the Courts Facility, to be vacated when the public safety-detention center complex is completed at the end of this year. The sheriff’s department occupies much of the Courts Facility basement and will be moving into new quarters in the complex.
According to a special courts facility space study committee, the basement area to be vacated will not be sufficient to address all the needs of the judicial system in Moore County. Nevertheless, the clerk of court and other judicial services can use the additional space to good advantage until a more permanent solution can be reached.
But Picerno was concerned about planning for the county’s long-term space needs and about public relations.
Picerno estimated that the county has spent $2 million in recent years on architects’ fees, feasibility studies and other land use plans for the public safety complex and for a local government office building, the latter to be erected on an as yet undetermined site.
The original plan called for construction of both the public safety complex and the office building on the 21-acre tract adjacent to the existing jail in downtown Carthage. After a lengthy period of negotiation with the tract’s owner, Johnny Grimm, and other property owners in Carthage, the board of commissioners in 2007 agreed to buy the Grimm property for $1.5 million.
However, later the board learned that it would not be possible to place both large structures on that tract. Adding to the dilemma was information about a critical need for larger and more efficient space for court operations, including courtroom space, clerk of court operations, the district attorney and such related functions as probation and parole services.
“Although it wasn’t done in secret the last time, the next time we go out to build something, I don’t want the public to claim they didn’t know about it,” Picerno said.
His comments were an apparent reference to outspoken opposition to the public safety-detention center expressed after the county had already proceeded with plans to erect the structure.
The $27 million complex under construction between McNeill and Dowd streets in Carthage will house all emergency services, including emergency management, Emergency Medical Services, and 911 communications, as well as the sheriff’s department and the jail.
When the public safety agencies move into the complex, they will vacate the basement and other offices in the nearby Currie Building, but no decision has been announced about the use of those facilities.
Contact Florence Gilkeson at florence@thepilot.com.
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Comments
Toda 1 year, 4 months ago
"Commissioner Nick Picerno called for a long-term plan addressing county office needs".
“Everybody needs to buy into the plan and keep the politics out,” Picerno said.
When will the public have live video feeds for Commissioner meetings? There are many who can't attend meetings for some reason or another. And with fuel prices increasing with support of the Legislature, taxpayer's can at least record meetings to what the facial expressions of a few members.
Bflat 1 year, 4 months ago
Members of the public were not very well informed about the plans for the huge monstrosity now going up between McNeill and Dowd St, smack in the middle of downtown Carthage until very late when tidbits of information began to surface. Later on it was discovered that the JAIL would be federal sized. Still later it was discovered it would be 4 stories high and the Public Safety building would be 3 stories. Don't forget that voters/taxpayers never got a chance to vote on this huge expenditure because TP03 commissioners (Picerno, Caddell & Melton) ramrodded the whole project through with a 55+ million$ limited bond that didn't require a referendum. (About 10million is for public utilities.)
Studies recommended that a new Courthouse be built and that should have been done first to ease case flow. The Grand Jury report found the current jail adequate at that time, yet certain Commissioners took it on themselves to forge ahead on the new JAIL at the school crossing and across the road from the children's playground.
From the beginning, the new Courthouse and all buildings were to be on the 21 acre tract but 6 acres were found unbuildable because of wetlands. How's that for wasting money on the land without first determining if it was suitable for the intended purpose? How about wasting taxpayer money by paying too much? How about closing down the #1 school over a $500,000 budget shortfall? How about making criminals more comfortable while the schools are enduring budget cuts? Certain commissioners company benefit monetarily from taxpayer funds due to the software support their company provides to to the County. Isn't that a conflict of interest? Also what about the water meters and software support?
Still more county money to be spent to locate a courthouse site. The County debt load will soon be over $300,000,000 and will forever strap the citizens , children and grandchildren with this huge amount. Watch for tax increases in the future unless these people are voted out of office before any more is added. The damage is already done to beautiful downtown Carthage. I suggest you take a ride up Hwy22/McNeill St and then over to Dowd to see the size of the ugly buildings....
deidretg 1 year, 4 months ago
If there is any doubt about who is actually running this county, stop and think about this quote by T. Cary McSwain;
"County Manager Cary McSwain pointed out that approval of the committee’s recommendations falls within the manager’s range of authority. However, McSwain said he wanted the board to be aware of the recommendations before he takes action." He is making it perfectly clear that he could just do it without the board being aware of it. "However, McSwain said he wanted the board to be aware of the recommendations before "HE" takes action." Brother, he wants it to be publicly known that it falls within the "manager's RANGE OF AUTHORITY. Just how much influence has this 'Johnny come lately' had on Moore County in the last 5 years? Let's see.
Arrived in October 2006 from Columbia, SC (Richland County Administrator). In Feb 2007 announces $300,000,000 in capital needs for Moore County. Later, he personally negotiates the final price with the Grimm's for their land at $1,500,000, almost double the assessed value of the land. If it had been known that the land had 10 feet of impenetrable clay underneath it and part of it is unbuildable wetlands, the tax value on it that was assessed by Moore County. If it had been know, its value would have been considerably less still. So much for the previous multiyear, tens of thousands of dollars expenses on a multiyear, multiple phase long range plan to provide for a County Governmental Building and a separate Public Safety Building, both to be built on land already owned by the county (cost=$0) at the Carriage Oaks site for $17,200,000. I have the only copy of this plan in existence in Moore County,but only because I drove to the Charlotte firm that did both Phase I Study (2003) and Phase II Study (2006) and purchased it. Dennis Brobst (Public Works Director) could not locate the county's copy but, to his credit, he did notify the firm that it could provide to me a duplicate copy as long as I paid the $100 fee to have it reproduced. Until Mr. McSwain got here this had been our focus. Now we have $32,000,000 - $40,000,000 worth of Federal Sized Detention Center which fits his resume as Detention Center Administrator quite nicely (12 years - 1994 -2006).
"RANGE OF AUTHORITY" takes on a whole new meaning.
deidretg 1 year, 4 months ago
@ Quote: "But Picerno was concerned about planning for the county’s long-term space needs and about public relations.
Picerno estimated that the county has spent $2 million in recent years on architects’ fees, feasibility studies and other land use plans for the public safety complex and for a local government office building, the latter to be erected on an as yet undetermined site."
In Mr. Picerno's defense, he was not on the board when this $2,000,000 was spent on these 'Long Range Planning' studies (Phase I - 2003 & Phase II - 2006) and the associated plans and he may have never seen the plans that I have in my hand, but he could if he went to Public Works and demanded that they produce the record for him. I'm sure he has more pull with that crowd than I did. He might find them most interesting, considering what kind of boondoggle situation we have going on now. It was stipulated at the time that the plans be done on a very specific site (Carriage Oaks). After the multi-year planning was completed and the specified architectural drawings were authorized by the BOC our interim county manager (Detention Center Administrator for the 12 previous years) was put in permanent charge of this county and its management (July 2007) and voila! here we are today, fast approaching his declared $300,000,000 of expenditures on capital improvements. Unfortunately, the previous administration's well thought out long range plans were not part of the new vision for Moore County. The current vision is big enough to cast a very large and looming shadow on what was once a great place (Carthage) to live and do business.
Toda 1 year, 4 months ago
deidretg, Thanks for your informative contribution and factual information. Obviously, T. Cary's office is tight-lipped when it comes to transparency. T. Cary reports directly to the MCBoC's and they report to the taxpayers and voters ~ or that is how it is supposed to work.
We could start with broadcasts of the commissioners meetings. That would be a great start, and then reshuffle the house of administrative cards with a total review of positions over 50K.
Again, Thanks for all your hard work and providing facts to support your information.
deidretg 1 year, 4 months ago
T. Cary likes to keep his 'RANGE OF AUTHORITY' close to his vest. Just take a moment to go over to the Moore County Website and look under Administration. Look at the response to the "CITIZENS OF MOORE COUNTY" concering "HIS" administration's organizational chart. It has stated exactly the same as you see for years;
"The Organizational Chart for County Government is currently under development and will be available soon. We apologize for any inconvenience." If anyone thinks that he is apologizing for anything that he is doing to this county, you better think again. He's blowing us off. He has no intention whatsoever of ever posting an organizational chart that would show his command and control of this county and its departments. But, there is ample evidence of what his 'RANGE OF AUTHORITY' was in Richland County, South Carolina for 12 years and it was absolutely stunning.
Who on the current BOC was in charge of doing a background check on T. Cary McSwain before plopping down six figures a year on him. The obvious answer for at least the last 2 years (when they have had the information personally delivered to them) is that they don't care what his background is. He gets the dirty work done in fine fashion for them. Citizens filing an appeal Sept 7th with the Local Government Commission against the $55,000,000 money grab were told that the next scheduled meeting of the full commission was in Dec. Less than 2 weeks later T. Cary gets the money in a teleconference meeting (Sep 23, 2010) and immediately announces that construction will begin. Job done! That is why we may see him running Moore County well into his 80's. He already half a decade past retirement age now. He was at retirement age when he got here 5 years ago.
deidretg 1 year, 4 months ago
This is the link to the infamous T. Cary McSwain 'apology statement' to the Citizens of Moore County on its Administration page explaining no available organizational chart (that would show which departments are controlled directly by T. Cary and which one's are controlled by their own entities (i.e., the Moore County Sheriff' controlling or not controlling his new detention center). He says he's sorry for our inconvenience. The very fact that this 'inconvenience has continued virtually since his arrival to Moore County and the Official Moore County Webpage has kept this information from the public for at least these last three years that I have been looking at this website, clearly shows his true intent. And sadly, T. Cary's past long record of administering control of a county's detention center/jail for 12 years (Columbia, Richland County, SC.) before he came here gives ample evidence of things to come for our poor county. God help us all.
http://www.co.moore.nc.us/index.php/county-organizational-chart
deidretg 1 year, 4 months ago
This information obviously doesn't play well with the 'social scene' that we now have at The Pilot. Sam Ragan would die (again) at the sight of how it has been run by the 'pretty boys'. Not one shred of investigative journalism left. They have become the 'fiddlers' on the deck of the Titanic. "All is well Johnsie Mae". Sail on!