Departments move into newly refurbished office on Perryman

The Lincoln County Planning and Zoning Department is now open for business at its new location on Perryman Avenue, across the street from the courthouse. Pictured in the reception area are: (lr) Meg Burg, planning and zoning director; Denise Cunningham, administrative clerk; and Joy Bussey, clerk.

A new Lincoln County Government building opened its doors for business on Monday, April 9.

Last December, the county commission voted to purchase a house and approximately .72 acres of land on Perryman Avenue from Wayne Gibson at a cost of $165,000. Formerly a private residence, the structure is situated directly across the street from the courthouse.

Following a facelift, the building now houses the Planning and Zoning Department (construction, soil erosion, solid waste management, code enforcement, etc.) and the Public Works Department (water, sewerage, and roads), which were previously located in the annex on the west side of the courthouse. The annex will eventually become the tax assessor's new office, and his old office will house the county's information technology specialist.

The Lincoln County Planning and Zoning Department and the Lincoln County Public Works Department have relocated to their new home across the street from the Lincoln County Courthouse. A open house will be held at the new office building in the near future

Commenting on the refurbishment of the new property, Commission Chairman Walker Norman commended the Lincoln County Road Department, under the supervision of Jimmy Justice, for all of the improvements made to the site. "With the exception of paving the parking lot, just about all of the work was done by the Road Department," he said.

"I believe this building is a nice addition to county government," the chairman continued. "It will hopefully enable us to better serve the public."

The cost of the building's facelift and the construction of parking lots on the side and at the rear of the structure came to approximately $50,000.

The new planning and zoning/public works office features:

.. Offices for Planning and Zoning Director Meg Burg; Roby Seymour, Public Works director; Glenn Clements, chief code enforcement officer; and Denise Cunningham, administrative clerk.

The building also houses one spare office, along with an office shared by Jim Butler, deputy code enforcement officer, and Jack Saggus, road engineer.

.. A reception area staffed by clerk Joy Bussey.

.. A state-of-the art, computerized conference room, which employees consider a big plus.

Since the old office building did not have a conference room, county officials, developers, contractors, and so forth would have to meet in the commissioners' chambers in the courthouse. However, the room was not always available due to scheduling conflicts with the commissioners, court officials, etc.

.. A file room. .. A kitchen.

.. Restroom facilities.

In her remarks, Meg Burg, planning and zoning director for the county, stated, "We are extremely excited about the new office building. This building will give us more potential for growth by meeting our needs for many years to come. It will allow us to expand as the county grows."

The county plans to host an open house at the new office building in the near future.