Roughly nine months ago the Surry County Sheriff’s Office successfully transferred the inmate population from the two former sections of the Surry County Detention Center to its gleaming new home on East Woltz Street in Dobson.
With that move completed, the existing sheriff’s offices on N. Main Street in Dobson, and the two now decommissioned sections of the previous detention center, are being eyed for renovations that will create new offices and needed storage space and the board of commissioner approved funding for the architectural design work to get that process started.
Following that action, the board approved the release of a Request for Qualifications for design services for the sheriff’s office and what the county is now calling the Judicial Center Annex, which comprises both the original 1974 structure as well as the fabled “escape-proof” 2002 jail building on North Main Street in Dobson.
“There was a request from staff (to) allocate $200,000 to take a look at the request from the judges over in the Judicial Center Annex, which is the former 2002 jail, as well as potential renovations in the 1974 sheriff’s office in the 1974 jail,” County Manager Chris Knopf explained.
Commissioner Larry Johnson was keen to get the ball rolling on renovations for the offices and annex and made the motion to approve design fees. “I’ll be very anxious for us to get that started,” he said.
As is the case with many of Surry County’s buildings, the sheriff’s offices and judicial center annex are in need of significant infrastructure repair. Atop of renovating the spaces inside the existing sheriff’s office and old jails into new working and storage spaces, the renovations will include new HVAC systems, windows, and electrical.
On the grounds of the new detention center, a spot of land was left graded and ready for expansion of that building according to former jail administrator Lt. Randy Shelton. There has been no discussion however of any expansion to the detention center itself, which has not yet reached its full capacity of 362. At the Sept. 3 commissioner’s meeting, the board was told the inmate headcount that day was 289.
In other board news:
- With the season getting ready to change and kids back in school, the chances for the spread of communicable diseases have increased. To combat that Health Department Director Samantha Ange was granted approval to use $29,987 for the purchase a Cepheid lab machine.
The new machine which will be used to process multiple tests including Strep, RSV, and COVID for multiple patients at the same time. The machine currently in use was described as “antiquated” and in need of replacing. Knopf said the purchase would be made with funds already in the health department budget.
- The board approved its minutes from closed session meetings for a range of dates between May 2022 and July 2024, however they were not approved to be released to the public.
- Commissioner Larry Johnson’s time on the board is soon coming to an end, but he volunteered once again to be the county’s delegate to the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners Legislative Goals Conference to be held in mid-November in Raleigh.
- Dr. Michael Gentry’s term as the physician member of the Surry County Board of Health was set to expire at the end of this month. The board was informed he was both eligible and willing to serve another term and was reappointed to the board.
- Brian Moser and Dr. Dean Simmons were reappointed to three-year terms on the Planning Board.
- Wanda Stanley was reappointed to the Jury Commission for two-year term.
- Finally, the board took time to recognize members of Surry County Emergency Services for their actions in saving lives of members of this community.
Recognized for five saves were Aaron Williams, Wendell Jenkins, Robert Blizard, Matthew Whiteley, Alea Doby, and Layne Bledsoe.
Staphany Blizard, Ted Radford, Kaylee Mastromonica, Colby Cooper, Mason Gywn and Dusty Jackson were honored for having 10 Saves each.
The board of commissioners expressed its thanks and respect for the 25 lives that were saved by Michael Johnson.
Local News
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