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Burke County Board of Commissioners Chairman Phil Smith
contemplates projects to prioritize near the end of the Budget and
Strategic Work Session last week.
MICA BANKS / THE PAPER
With the new EMS station and animal shelter complete, Burke County officials have set their sights on the next project: a full renovation of the building that houses the health department and social services.
At 700 E. Parker Road in Morganton, the Human Resources Center is a high-traffic building in need of renovation. Commissioners committed to the project in their 2023 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), along with the EMS station and animal shelter.
County Manager Brian Epley presents commissioners with a five-year CIP proposal each year. Last week, he shared his suggestions with the board at the annual Burke Commissioners Budget and Strategic Work Session held at Western Piedmont Community College.
The Human Resources Center (HRC) renovation project was at the top of Epley’s list, and tied to it, a proposal to replace eight of the county’s aging ambulances.
“The good news is the collateral value of that building (HRC) so far exceeds what we’re asking to borrow,” Epley said. “It gives us an opportunity to … fold this (ambulance purchases) in and amortize this cost, about $2-and-a-half million, into the building renovation.”
To amortize means to gradually write off the initial cost of an asset of a period of time or to reduce or pay off a debt with regular payments.
Epley estimates the county will need to borrow about $12 million for the HRC renovation project.
No actions were taken at the county’s budget and strategic work session.
HUMAN RESOURCES CENTER
Epley said about 57,000 square feet of the approximately 62,000-square-foot building will be renovated.
Outgoing Public Health Director Danny Scalise said the biggest challenge will be operating the health department’s clinic spaces during renovation. Scalise also said the health department may have shrunk slightly with the current blueprint.
Epley said the health department is “roughly the size that it was” but has been laid out differently.
While the plan is not to add onto the building, Epley said there will be opportunity for addition if needed.
“We are well aware that (working on) a project in a building that’s continuing to be operational is a heck of a challenge,” Epley said. “We did it for two years, almost, in the courthouse. It’s not easy, it takes flexibility and understanding … but you’re getting, essentially, a new space for 80% cheaper than it would cost to build it new, and it will service this population, this community, for a long, long, long time.”
The project is currently in the design phase. Bids will potentially open in October, and the first phase of the project should be substantially complete by May 2027 — but there is a lot that must still happen.
The current design can be viewed in the meeting’s agenda packet. To access to the agenda packet, go to www.burkenc.org and click “Agendas & Minutes.” On the new webpage, scroll up until you see “Board of Commissioners Budget & Strategic Planning Work Session” beside a blue box that says “MAR 5, 2026.” Clicking the beige rectangle will open the agenda packet. On the left, scroll down to “5. CM – Capital Projects Update and Forecast” and click on “CIP Worksession FY 26-27.” The blueprints are on pages 38-41.
AMBULANCE FLEET
Epley said the county has 18 ambulances categorized as seven newer ones — all purchased in 2023 — and 11 older ones.
The county has spent $194,104 maintaining the ambulance fleet since the 2025-26 fiscal year started last July. Epley said the expense could, likely, be cut by almost 60% if the county invested in newer vehicles. On principle, new ambulances would have new parts that would come with a warranty.
Maintenance on the old ambulances costs more than $10,000 annually. The newer vehicles cost about $5,000 per year to maintain.
Epley’s proposal to purchase eight new ambulances would cost about $2.6 million.
