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Burke County hears feasibility report on HRC renovation; courthouse, EMS and animal shelter updates given
Summary
Architects told Burke County commissioners the Health & Human Resources center at 700 East Parker Road "appears well-suited for renovation," while courthouse Phase I, the EMS headquarters and a new animal shelter remain on staggered schedules with expected completions in late April 2025, December 2025 and Q1 2026 respectively.
Greg Melton, an architect with Holland & Hamrick Architects, P.A., told the Burke County Board of Commissioners at its March 6, 2025, budget retreat that the HRC building at 700 East Parker Road "appears well-suited for renovation," citing a 2013 HVAC upgrade and favorable structural features that would support continued departmental use and future expansion. County Manager Brian Epley opened the capital improvement plan update and introduced Melton’s overview.
Melton outlined three active county projects. He said Phase I of the courthouse renovation, which converts an unused lower floor for the District Attorney’s Office, is on schedule for completion in late April. Later phases would renovate the former DA area for the Estates Division and construct a new courtroom in the current Estates space.
On the EMS headquarters development, Melton reported the bay masonry walls had reached "approximately 14 to 15 feet in height," and that crews encountered less shallow rock than anticipated, helping keep the project on track for a December 2025 completion date. He said foundation work on the new animal shelter is underway and that the shelter’s schedule was intentionally staggered behind EMS because both projects were bid together; that staggered approach, he told commissioners, is "yielding over $1 million in savings for the County." Melton estimated the animal shelter would be completed in the first quarter of 2026.
Chairman Jeffrey C. Brittain opened the floor for questions after the presentation; none were offered at that time and the board moved on to the next agenda item. No formal action was taken on the capital improvement report during the session.
The board recessed briefly at 9:02 a.m. and resumed at 9:14 a.m. The capital projects described at the retreat remain subject to future budget approvals and contracting steps.
