The City of Locust will celebrate the opening of its new $2.1 million city hall, police headquarters and library Saturday, Nov. 26, following its annual Christmas parade, said City Administrator James Inman.
The parade starts at 3 p.m. at West Main Street and Renee Ford Road and travels east, turning left on Ray Kennedy Drive and right on Market Street where participants will find a festival with vendors, arts and crafts and activities for children.
Then at 4:30 Congressman Larry Kissell and N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco will participate in the grand opening of the new 14,600-square-foot city hall facility. The building is located at 186 Ray Kennedy Drive, near Locust’s town center.
Inman said city officials decided to build a permanent structure to replace the facilities the city has been renting for city hall, the Locust Police headquarters and the local library because it would save the city money once the loans are repaid.
“We had looked at this facility about four years ago right before the economy turned,” Inman said. “We delayed it about a year and then we determined this was the best time to start with the construction, prices being so low.”
The $2.1 million price tag includes the $1.7 million cost of construction as well as the cost of furnishings, legal costs and site work. The actual cost of construction was close to $100 per square foot, which Inman said was good for a commercial building. The entire project came in $100,000 under budget, he said.
Locust received a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build the new city hall. Loans like the one the city has were made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which provided federal stimulus funding to the USDA so it could provide such loans.
The 40-year loan has an adjustable interest rate that is just under 4 percent. It can go lower, but is guaranteed never to go up from its current rate, Inman said. There’s also no penalty if the city pays the loan off early.
Inman said Kissell helped the city to secure the financing for the new city hall and that’s why he’ll participate in the grand opening Saturday. Construction began on the building in July 2010.
“The city is very grateful to Congressman Kissell,” Inman said. “He’s been a prime mover in securing funding. We traveled to (Washington) D.C. three years ago. He’s been a blessing to us on this project.”
Contact reporter Karen Cimino Wilson: 704-789-9141.
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