Wilkes County public hearing draws staff and residents opposed to repurposing new Executive Drive building for DSS

A public hearing opened March 5 as Wilkes County officials sought comment on a proposal to change the intended use of the new Executive Drive County Office Building to house the Department of Social Services (DSS).

Multiple residents and DSS employees told the Board they opposed repurposing the building. “I would like to say good evening ... I hope you have not already made your minds up,” said Randy Bishop, a longtime resident, who raised the $4 million retrofit estimate and urged transparency and citizen input. Library Director Suzanne Manners said repurposing “will put much more strain on the resources of the County” and that the timing is wrong given budget constraints.

DSS workers stressed operational and privacy concerns. “Virtually all work done in a Department of Social Services should be private and confidential,” said Susan Ledbetter, citing child protective services interviews, adult-protective matters, and Medicaid discussions that she said require private offices. Foster-care worker Rachel Rogers described the emotional and practical demands of CPS work and said cubicles would impede private phone calls, confidential interviews and file access: “You can’t do that in a cubicle,” she said.

Speakers raised practical site concerns as well: commenters questioned whether planned employee parking would require staff to cross a busy street and noted the distance between a proposed lot and the building. Commissioners and staff also discussed financing: County commissioners and staff cited state/federal facility reimbursement estimates (presented in materials as roughly 45.29%) and whether landfill loan repayments could be used to cover upfront retrofit costs.

Chairman Hardin Kennedy and DSS Director Kevin Brown responded to questions about space plans and state approvals. County officials said parts of the retrofit plans had state “seal” approval and that the building’s design includes key-card access and additional interview rooms, but county staff and employees differed about whether those changes would replace private offices.

The hearing closed at 6:20 p.m. and the Board proceeded to its regular session. The item drew sustained public comment and detailed technical questions from staff and commissioners about costs, parking and privacy for vulnerable clients.