NEWS
The New Home for Town Hall Nearing Completion
The new construction element of the renovation project is located at the back of the building.
Managers, so many managers! Project manager, construction manager, site superintendent, architects, and even more. These are the people Austin Nantz, Assistant Town Manager, works with daily to coordinate the Town of Davidson’s remodeling construction at 251 South Street.
Nantz has welcomed the challenges, and her enthusiasm for the project is contagious.
Davidson residents should be happy to hear that the town’s $12.5 million construction bid holds Edifice Construction to the prices current when the contract was signed in August 2021.
The current Town Hall at 216 S. Main Street has 16,000 square feet, which includes space at the rear of the building for the Fire Department. The future Davidson Town Hall and Community Center on South Street has 35,245 square feet.
Architects gave the new construction design elements that tie it to the original, historic portion of the building.
The remodeled building, which has served as different schools over the years (see this article by Jan Blodgett), has meeting rooms throughout the building. The auditorium will hold 300 people, with the original seating that has been beautifully refinished.
Another nod to the past is a preserved classroom that will highlight the history of the building from 1948 to the early 2000s. Even that room can be used for meetings. A configurable meeting space with a kitchenette is right next door. The largest meeting space is the Community Room, where town advisory boards will meet.
Nantz is glad that finally “everyone but public works and public safety personnel will be under the same roof.” Freeing up space in the soon-to-be old Town Hall will give the Davidson Police Department room to hold daily roll call.
Until the town receives its Certificate of Occupancy, photos are not allowed in the newly renovated building on South Street. Hopes are that the town can begin to occupy the building soon, certainly by early January. An official opening to welcome Davidson citizens is being planned for later that month.
In addition to Nantz, the following people have been instrumental in making the move to 251 South Street as easy as possible: Town Clerk Betsy Shores, Finance Director Peit Swart, and Town Manager Jamie Justice.
Jennie Clifton
Jennie Clifton, a Concord native, taught high school Latin in Georgia, where she was a Tar Heel in exile until she and her husband Cecil, a Davidson graduate, retired here in 2011. They are now enjoying life at The Pines.