County Approves Sale of Old Courthouse

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners have approved Clachan Properties, LLC's $700,000 bid for the Old Courthouse.  At this point, Clachan has a 150 day due-diligence period during which time they can back out of the offer to purchase; they will also likely seek historic designation during this time to make the property eligible for tax purposes.  The Old Courthouse was built in 1926 but incorporated parts of an older courthouse on the site from 1896 and added new wings in 1958.  Clachan Properties, LLC also developed the Winston Factory Lofts. 

New Downtown Library to be built in 2014

That is, if the citizens of Forsyth County vote for the construction of a new library rather than a rehabilitation of the existing Central Library at public meetings to be held before 2014. But the major hurdle was passed yesterday as the Forsyth County Commissioners voted 6-1 to approve plans to update or build a new library. It is notable that the single commissioner to vote against the plan did so because not because he didn't believe a new library was necessary but because he thought the proposed plan moved too slowly.

It is also notable that plans to improve or build new libraries in Kernersville and Clemmons were also a part of the plan: those projects would not start until later this decade - 2019 and 2017 respectively - after the downtown Winston-Salem measure would be completed. Part of the commissioner's concern who voted against the plan did so based on the belief that interest rates would rise in the coming years and so waiting so long to start the projects would add to the cost of the projects.

Board sets aside money from Dell

By Wesley Young

Published: May 10, 2011

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Forsyth County commissioners voted 5-2 on Monday that the $7.9 million in incentives repaid by Dell Inc. should go toward economic development rather than going into the general fund.
When Dell announced in 2009 that it would close its computer-assembly plant on Temple School Road, the company also said it would repay economic development incentives it received.

Since then, commissioners have been divided over what to do with the money. Most have favored setting aside the money for economic development, but some called for putting it in the county's general fund.
On Monday, commissioners passed a motion designating $3.7 million of the Dell money for paying a land-purchase incentive that was promised as part of the negotiations that lured Caterpillar Inc. to the county last year.
The rest — about $4.2 million — is designated for future economic development.
Commissioner Debra Conrad said before Monday's meeting that putting the money in the general fund is a bad idea, if it is meant to relieve a tight budget.
"This is a prime opportunity to keep it as incentive money so we don't have to worry about what to do if anything else like Caterpillar comes along," Conrad said. "You can't solve financial problems with one-time money. You have to solve them with permanent solutions and not temporary solutions."
Conrad joined Commissioners Walter Marshall, Dave Plyler, Everette Witherspoon and Richard Linville, the board chairman, in approving the creation of the economic development fund.
Opposed were Commissioners Gloria Whisenhunt and Bill Whiteheart — commissioners who have been most leery of economic incentives.
"It is the taxpayers' money," Whisenhunt said before the meeting. "I would like to put it in the general fund because that is where it came from."

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wyoung@wsjournal.com

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